


Lose It All For You

by delilah24



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternative Universe - FBI, Angst, Background Destiel, FBI Agent Gabriel (Supernatural), FBI Agent Sam Winchester, Family Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gabriel Loves Sam Winchester, Heavy Angst, Heavy Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, No Smut, POV Sam Winchester, POV Third Person, Sabriel - Freeform, Sabriel Fluff, Sam Winchester Loves Gabriel, Supernatural Fluff, background deancas, sam winchester x gabriel fluff, samxgabriel fluff, sfw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-06-26 09:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 63,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15660195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delilah24/pseuds/delilah24
Summary: A young FBI Agent, Sam winchester has been sent on his first solo case, and it's an odd one at that - 12 people have been decapitated and no one knows why. Sam is eager to prove himself to not only his division but his father and brother as well, so he finds himself constantly worried and stressed. He finds comfort in a man by the name of Gabriel Novak, as they  go on dates in between Sam trying to solve a seemingly impossible case.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is the first fic I've ever written on Ao3, so I'm sorry if something's not formatted right or looks weird. I'm learning! I hope you enjoy my fic nonetheless!

Sam was basically on autopilot as he drove down the highway in his sleek silver car, not even the honks of pissed off drivers pulling him into focus. He was much too nervous to be fazed by that - he found himself unable to breathe right, his chest tight and his palms so clammy they slid on the wheel so he had to keep readjusting his grip. He was glad no one else was in the car to see how nervous he was, and how he had begun to resent the formal wear policy as the black suit felt too heavy on a summer day like today. He reached over and turned up the AC, taking deep breaths of the cool air to try and calm himself. Sam felt like he was in school again, just about to present a project by himself. It was that same thought, the same feeling, knowing that about half your grade (at least according to the American education system) rides on this one presentation, and if you mess up, it could ruin your overall grade with no way to fix it. He shuddered as he thought of his 8th grade science class - his teacher had been relentless.

As he was lost in thought, the sound of his ringing phone made him jump. What had gotten into him today? He glanced at his phone, held up in front of him by a grip on the dash. Dean was calling. He debated briefly on whether he should answer it while driving, then thought that if his anxious fiddling didn't distract him enough to make him crash than neither would a phone call. He swiped it open. "Hey Dean," He greeted his brother, "What's up?"

"Just checking in on my little bro. Going on your first mission alone is pretty exciting, huh?" Sam could just picture his brother grinning. Once again, he silently thanked God he wasn't able to see Sam.

"Ha, yeah, I guess so," Sam replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

"You guess so? What's wrong?" 

Sam sighed. Dean knew him all too well. "I'm just...worried," Sam murmured, "This case is a brutal one and there's not much to go off of. And if I screw up -"

"Nope, stop right there," Dean stopped him, "You're not going to screw up, you're going to do just fine. You're Sam fucking Winchester!" 

Sam chuckled. "Thanks Dean," He smiled half-heartedly.

"Of course Sammy, I'm always here for you," Dean reassured him. "Now, what are the details anyways?"

"You know I can't tell you that Dean, it's against the rules," Sam deflected.

"Damn, you got me. I was secretly trying to get you fired by tricking you into telling me, a fellow FBI agent, information about a case."

Sam laughed, "Really though, I can't say. I'll fill you in after I figure it out, okay?"

"Alright Sammy. I'll talk to you later," Dean hung up the phone first. Sam let out a sigh of relief. A chat with his brother always helped to calm him down. He hung onto his reassuring words. That he could do it.

"Yeah, I am Sam fucking Winchester," He muttered under his breath as he glanced at his GPS, which claimed he would be at his destination, Gillette, Wyoming, in about 30 minutes. He took a deep breath, once again fixing his sweaty hands on the leather wheel. He glanced at his phone. Where would be a good first place to start? Probably gathering more information on the victims... Activating Siri, he recited the name of the morgue he had been told the victim's bodies were currently at, and in return the phone provided a phone number. Tapping it quickly (as to not crash), the phone began to ring, taking a few beats before someone picked up.

"This is Gabriel from Pierce and Price Funeral Home, how may we help you?" Came the static response.

"This is Agent Winchester. I'm just calling ahead to let you know I'll be coming in to examine the bodies of the 12 victims from the murder two days ago," Sam stated.

"Whoa, so the feds are on this case now? This is the second time this week," Gabriel murmured from the phone, Sam assuming the last part he was talking more so to himself. In a quieter voice, maybe not meant for Sam's ears, he added, "Maybe this one will be hotter."

"What was that?" Sam asked, heat creeping on his face. Was that supposed to be him flirting?

"What was what?"

"Uh, you said this is the second time an agent has visited you?" Sam asked. Why would they send anyone there? As far as he knew, nothing else FBI worthy had happened in the city, otherwise he would have heard about it.

"Oh, yeah. Dude came in asking about another murder earlier this week," Gabriel answered. Sam narrowed his eyebrows. Something seemed odd about that, but now wasn't the time. He had to focus on the main objective.

"I'll be there in 25 minutes," Sam said and hung up the phone call, turning off the highway exit.

 

 

Gillette was mostly residential, houses packed close together in neighborhoods either laid out like a grid or in a spiraling circle that ended in a dead end, though it did have a few plaza areas and stores in the center of all these jam packed homes. Right now, Sam sat in his car, parked outside of the morgue, taking a deep breath before he went in, his jittery nerves returning. To focus himself, he picked up the case files, flipping through the manila folder and summarizing the details in his head: 12 victims, aged seventeen to nineteen, were all found decapitated in the home of one of their friends, who has not been seen since the incident, nor have her parents been seen. Their bodies were found about an hour after they died - the neighbors said they had gone over to tell them to turn down the music they were blaring, as they had been partying late at night, and had assumed their screaming was just that - teens partying loud for no reason. They said that they didn't see anyone enter or leave the premises. This all happened about two days ago.

According to the autopsy, there had been traces of another blood sample in their system, though this has been chalked up to an error. Sam narrowed his eyes. He'd have to ask about that. He closed the folder and put it back in the glove box, finally opening the door to his car and stepping out, walking up the couple stairs to the entrance. The place was just what you'd expect from a funeral home - some shaggy white carpet and a disgusting perfume smell to cover up the stench of dead bodies filled with formaldehyde. In front of him was a mahogany counter, and behind that was the smirking face of a five-foot-eight blond man, with long golden locks pushed back out of his face. Sam reached in his pocket as he approached, flipping open his badge.

"Agent Winchester, F-"

"I know who you are," Sam stopped as he recognized the voice from the phone. Gabriel walked around the counter to meet Sam. "Well, you're last name at least. How could I forget such a handsome voice?" Gabriel's eyes twinkled. Why did he keep alluding to Sam being handsome? He had to will himself not to blush.

Sam held out a hand. "Of course. Sam Winchester," He properly introduced himself. Gabriel took his hand and shook it, giving it a tight squeeze.

"Gabriel Novak. Nice to see you," He ignored that fact that Sam had ignored his compliment, which Sam was grateful for, though he couldn't help himself from looking Gabriel up and down. He was business-casual, wearing a white button-up shirt and black work pants that fell over his shiny black shoes. His shirt also had to top button undone. The man dropped Sam's hand. "I'll lead you to the bodies," He waved for Sam to follow him as he walked to a door on the left, in the opposite direction of the caskets in the other room. He took out a jangling set of keys and unlocked it, swinging the door open and flicking on the light as he walked down, Sam following him. A chill ran up his back as the temperature dropped, though it was oddly refreshing after being in the hot sun. The narrow stairway opened up into a large, brightly lit rectangular room, with one wall filled from top to bottom with freezers to keep the bodies. There were three metal tables out for examining, and a plethora of medical instruments strewn about the metal counter ringing the room. Gabriel led him to one of the freezers and opened it up, sliding out the body, covered delicately in a sheet. He helped Sam transfer it over to the table, where Sam took off the sheet. Gabriel sucked in air through his teeth at the sight - it was a young girl, which made it all the more sad to see her head sliced off, laying just off center of her neck.

"I'm telling you, you never get used to seeing people like this," Gabriel muttered.

"Tell me about it," Sam agreed as he slipped on latex gloves and ran a hand over the clean cut neck. Sam hated to compare something as gruesome as this, but you know those hams in cartoons, with one end that was a perfectly cut circle and the bone was level with the rest of the meat? That was basically what this girl's neck looked like. Almost at a perfectly flat level, the same with the stump of her head. You could slide them together and it would be almost seamless, so if one was to spot her body standing upright from, say, ten feet away, all dressed up and normal looking, they would think she was still alive. The thought sent a shiver down Sam's spine. Whoever did this was experienced. Maybe a surgeon? Someone with medical expertise?

"Do all the bodies look like this?" Sam asked, looking back at Gabriel, who was carelessly sitting on another metal table, which would surely contaminate it. 

"Yup. They're all just like this," Gabriel confirmed, "I've got a couple theories as to who could be behind it."

"Really?" Sam raised an eyebrow in interest, "Who?"

"Probably a Samurai out to avenge his father. Or a butcher whose grown tired of the same old meat," Gabriel said with a straight face. Sam couldn't help but snort.

"I'll have to tell HQ that," Sam jokingly replied, standing up straight and turning to Gabriel. "So, the files said they all had a small trace of a different blood sample in their system, but this was chalked up to an error. Why is that?" 

"Well, for one, it's impossible," Gabriel started, as though he were stating the obvious, "The blood matched that of a guy named Elliot, who we have under lock and key riiiiiight here," Gabriel pointed at the supposed freezer. "None of the victims had any relation to him either. Like, he didn't just trip and cut himself and all twelve of them tried to help him at once. So there is no way his blood could have even left that freezer, let alone get into the systems of twelve random teens. It was probably just on some contaminated equipment," he reasoned. Sam nodded. Yeah, that made sense.

"Well, thank you for the information. I'll be going now," Sam took off his gloves and held out his hand for Gabriel to shake, but instead the golden-haired employee smirked slyly. Sam blinked in confusion.

"What about I help you solve this case? Maybe over some dinner, around 6?" Gabriel asked. Sam could feel his cheeks heat up. This was the first time he'd been asked on a date in a while, it was flattering. But then he glanced down at the decapitated girl and remembered the seriousness of his investigation - his first solo mission. If he screwed around, he could lose his job.

"Sorry, I'm far too busy with this case. I can't go on a date right now," Sam tried to let Gabriel down gently.

"Yeah, that's why I said 6, not right now," Gabriel replied smoothly. He hopped down from the table. "I know a good place like, fifteen minutes from here. You'd be gone for an hour at most, and it's just taking care of yourself. FBI agents have to eat too, don't they?" Gabriel looked up at Sam expectantly. Sam had to admit, he had convinced him. A smile crept across Sam's lips, the same happening to Gabriel as he knew he had finally convinced Sam.

"Alright. I'll give you my hotel address. I'll be outside at 5:45," Sam agreed. Gabriel pumped his fist in triumph and Sam laughed.

They put the girl's body away (which now made Sam feel awkward that he had laughed and accepted a date despite being in front of a dead body, but what was done was done) and Gabriel led the way up the stairs. At the counter, Sam scribbled down the address and his number on a notepad, handing it to Gabriel with a smile.

"See you tonight," Gabriel winked. Sam nodded and waved goodbye as he left, flopping back in his car seat with a dreamy sigh escaping his lips.

He'd just agreed to go on a date with a guy he barely knew when he was supposed to be solving a murder.

What was he doing?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, holy crap, thank you for all the support on the first chapter! I did not expect that many hits. And thank you for the kudos!  
> Secondly, the format while I'm writing this chapter looks a bit weird so if I take this down or something changes that's because it posted weird. It might just be me adjusting to the way of Ao3 though.

Sam's eyes glanced from the mirror to the phone that vibrated noisily on his desk. Picking it up, he once again saw the caller ID was Dean (who else would be calling him?). He answered, putting it on speaker as he went back to the mirror leaning against the wall, scrutinizing his looks as he had thrown on this outfit in about two minutes.

"Sammy, how'd it go today?" Dean asked, eager to hear his brother's response.

"I can't really talk right now Dean," Sam answered, taking a look at the time. It was already 5:30, Gabriel would be here in fifteen minutes.

"Then why'd you answer?" Dean retorted, then answered for Sam, "Obviously if you answered you're not working right now. You're way too tense about this to waste time with a phone call," Sam rolled his eyes as Dean picked him apart, "So what are you doing?"

"I'm...going on a date," Sam answered.

"Really? You, a workaholic, is going on a date in the middle of a case?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"It's just dinner for an hour, besides I've been working all day," Sam defended himself, and it was true, he had been working since he left the morgue - he'd questioned neighbors, stopped by the police station for any more information, and then finally came back to the hotel room for a couple hours, hunched over his desk as he tried to narrow down a list of potential suspects and motives, though nothing seemed to add up. All of the victims were friends, a couple of them in a relationship with one another, but they all reportedly got along well, and were about as hard to separate from one another as separating a price sticker from a book, that is, difficult. In addition, the missing parents and the girl were no different. They all liked each other, so if one of them was the murderer, why would they do it? And how did they manage to murder twelve people while barely raising any alarms? It made Sam's head swirl just thinking about it.

"So, who's the lucky lady? Or guy?" Dean asked.

"His name's Gabriel. We met at a morgue."

"Awww, how romantic," Dean faked a dreamy sigh and Sam laughed. Yeah, that was pretty strange, wasn't it?

"Alright, I have to go, I'll talk to you later Dean," Sam hung up the call and tossed his phone on the bed, looking at himself one last time. He had dressed down, wearing a light gray button-up shirt, the cuffs rolled up to his elbows to show off his forearms, the bottom lazily tucked into his black pants that stopped right at the top of his dark brown dress shoes. This looked good, didn't it? He didn't even know what restaurant they were going to. He probably should have asked. 

Sam laughed at himself and shook his head. Why was he getting so worked up? He was a grown man! He'd be fine, he looked fine...probably. 

 

 

Gabriel pulled up in a shiny red truck. Sam didn't even see him at first through the tinted window, but then he hopped out of the driver's seat and opened the passenger's door, bowing over-dramatically. Sam blushed in embarrassment as a passing group of kids looked at them curiously, but he was far too flattered to let that get to him. If he was asked about his first impression of Gabriel, Sam would say he was a goof ball, as there was a lack of a better term. He seemed to always add a joking flare to something, as even down in the morgue he was cracking jokes. He already liked that about Gabriel - it was a welcome relief from his work.

"Thank you, sir," Sam bowed back, his eyes looking upwards into Gabriel's, their heads level, grinning at one another. Sam had never acted like this on a first date - usually he was too focused on making a good first impression. But Gabriel acted so genuine it was hard not to be the same. 

"Anything for you," Gabriel purred back. Sam's face flushed even more and he climbed into the passenger's seat, Gabriel slamming the door behind him and walking around to get back into the driver's seat, pulling out of the parking lot quite recklessly, going way too fast for it to be legal, though Gabe was totally relaxed while Sam gave his seat belt a tug, just to make sure it was tight enough.

They got the the restaurant in no time, Sam choosing to open his own door this time as he stepped out of the truck. It wasn't anything fancy. It was one of those restaurants where you could get a little bit of everything - pizza, burgers, fish, you name it, they probably had it. The ceilings were high as they led up to a second floor hidden back for private parties, leaving the first floor feeling wide open, yet managing to fit many tables inside. On one side there was the bar area, some middle-aged men sharing a quiet drink while young college students shouted rowdily at whatever sport was on the TV. Luckily, Gabriel led him to the opposite side, a dimly lit place with dusty maroon walls and dark mahogany booths, seats furnished with red leather. Gabriel sat across from him, and Sam quietly thanked the waitress as she brought them their menus.

"So, what's it like? Being a Man in Black?" Gabriel asked, his eyes bright with intrigue. Those eyes...they were the color of the shards of a beer bottle abandoned on a beach, the sun shining through them as waves threatened to pull them under. They were beautiful.

Sam thought for a moment about his answer, all the while staring at those pretty, golden eyes. "It's a lot of work, but really interesting. It's nice, after living so long getting all these different stories from all these different news sites, to finally get an insight in the government, all the while helping people," Sam answered thoughtful.

"Oh, so CNN is wrong?" Gabriel leaned forward a little bit, "What's going on in the FBI? Give me the scoop."

Sam smirked a little bit, nonchalantly stirring his water with his straw as he began to speak. "Oh, not much different from what everyone thinks. Just solving the big shot cases, taking care of aliens, that stuff."

Gabriel's eyes widened and Sam laughed. "Kidding! That's classified," Sam winked. Gabriel laughed at himself, blushing.

"So what about you? How's working in a morgue?" Sam returned the question.

"It smells real bad," Gabriel began, "And it's not even the bodies! It's the Febreze shit that Janice sprays to try and cover up the stench," He wrinkled his nose at the thought and Sam laughed again. It seemed like with each joke the wound up stress of his job was fading away, little by little becoming a bit more manageable.

"Why do you work there anyways?"

"I'm a necrophile," Gabriel responded with a straight face, then sucked his lips inwards as he tried not to laugh. It was in vain as the both of them burst out laughing, Sam holding his stomach, and the waitress serving them deciding to pretend she had forgotten something and stall until they calmed down. Sam wiped a tear from his eye, sighing as he tried to calm himself. "You should have seen the look on your face!" Gabriel exclaimed, snorting a little as he laughed (he snorted! Sam found that so adorable, especially coming from someone noticeably shorter than him).

The rest of their dinner was filled with small moments like, taking turns as they shared their lives, eating their meal slowly, partly because they wanted to drag their time with one another out for as long as they could, but also because they were scared of taking a poorly timed sip or bite right as the other cracked a joke and subsequently choking on it (which happened to the both of them quite a few times). It wasn't even until the waitress came with the bill that Sam looked at the time. It was already 8 at night. He'd been out for two hours, a lot longer than he had wanted to be, or even should be. If any other agents got wind that he had spent two hours on a date when he should be working on a murder case, he'd be a laughing stock. He must have been making a face, as Gabriel asked him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just...I need to get back to work," Sam murmured with a sigh, "I wish I could stay longer but..."

"That's alright!" Gabriel reassured quickly, "I get it. I had a lot of fun with you tonight though," He said with rosy cheeks.

Sam blushed. "I had a lot of fun too."

"How much longer are you going to be in town?" Gabriel asked curiously.

"About a week, or until I solve this case," Sam murmured.

"Then don't solve it!" Gabriel cried out, "I don't want you to leave!"

Sam laughed nervously at even the thought of not solving the case, rubbing the back of his neck. Gabriel frowned. "You're really nervous about this, huh?" He asked. Sam nodded silently.

"My whole job rides on it. To be honest, it's my first case alone, and if I mess up..." Sam trailed off then shook his head. "Sorry, let's not leave this on a sad note," He smiled half-heartedly.

"Don't worry about that, or the case either. I'm sure you'll do fine," Gabriel reassured. He hesitated a moment before reaching a hand across the table, gently placing it on Sam's, making the Winchester's arm tingle. His hand felt nice and smooth, though it was a bit clammy. Was he anxious about this date? Sam flipped his hand over and grabbed Gabriel's, squeezing it.

"Thank you," Sam smiled softly at Gabriel, and Gabriel smiled back.

"Of course. And ya know what? Every day, we're going to go on a fun, one hour date so you can forget all about this dumb murder!" Gabriel's eyes lit with determination, now on a self-appointed mission to make Sam relax and feel good. Then his face turned scarlet and he glanced down at the table. "That is, if you want to."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Sam nodded in agreement. He'd love nothing more than to spend any free time he could get with Gabriel, until he left at least. He deserved breaks in between hard work, didn't he?

Gabriel paid for the meal all by himself (when Sam had tried to contribute, he'd grabbed Sam's wallet and threw it under a table an old couple was sitting at, so Sam had to apologize awkwardly as he crawled beneath a table and hit his head as he came up, creating just the distraction Gabriel needed to pay) and the two walked outside together in comfortable silence. Then Gabriel's hand brushed Sam's and he instinctively entwined their fingers. Gabriel looked up at Sam who kept looking forward with a smirk, and out of his peripheral he could see Gabriel getting flushed. Gabriel got his "revenge" as he placed one hand on Sam's thigh in the truck, making Sam's heart skip a beat and him look at Gabriel, giving a cocky smirk of his own. Sam smiled and put his own hand on top of Gabriel's, the two just enjoying the brief touch of each other as Gabriel drove Sam back to his hotel, going considerably slower this time around, dreading having to end this moment. Sam chuckled as Gabriel walked him to the lobby door.

"See you tomorrow then?" Gabriel asked.

"See you tomorrow," Sam confirmed.

The two smiled at each other, just taking the other in, looking at all the little details they found absolutely dashing. Finally, they leaned in - and wrapped their arms in a warm embrace, Sam bending down slightly to put his head on top of Gabriel's.

"God, you're short," Sam laughed teasingly.

"No, you're just super tall," Gabriel retorted in a playful manner, eyes twinkling mischievously. 

They once again bid goodnight and Gabriel walked away, Sam laughing loudly as Gabriel jumped and clicked his heels together in joy, glancing over his shoulder to see Sam's reaction. Sam waved and then turned, walking back into the empty lobby, getting his room key ready as he walked up to his floor. 

He sighed as he walked into it, looking at the papers gathered on his desk, the low volume of the TV he had forgotten to shut off filling the room.

It was going to be a loooooooong night.


	3. Chapter 3

The ringing of Sam's alarm woke him up, his phone screen lighting up the dark room. He turned his face to the side, relieved now as it had previously been stuffed down in the pillow. Lifting his arm hanging off the side of the bed he made multiple attempts to shut off the alarm before he succeeded, sighing as he saw the '5:00 a.m.' displayed across the top. When had he fallen asleep? Even the term 'fallen asleep' was generous. 'Passed out' would probably suit it better, as he hadn't even bothered to changed, flopped down on the bed, not even lifting the sheets over himself, and knocked out in about two seconds flat. Yawning so loud that his jaw cracked quietly, he rolled onto his back and stretched, rubbing his eyes as he arched his back over the mattress. For a moment, he watched the fan ceiling spin around, allowing his brain to take a second and restart.

Back to work. He groaned at the thought and forced himself to stand up, traversing the room cautiously to get to the light switch and flicked it on. If there was someone staying in the room underneath him, boy would they not be happy with him up at such an early hour. Or all night. 

He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, and wished that he could wear concealer to cover the bags under his eyes. As he looked over the tiny details of his face he found unattractive, he thought of last night. Not the gritty, gruesome details of the murder, the pictures of the victims, or the eye-witness testimonies, but the dimly lit booth and the burning of his throat after Gabriel had made him laugh so hard he choked on his drink. He sighed and smiled, wondering what the golden-haired mischief maker would have in store for him today. Yes, that's how he'd start his day. Looking forward to seeing Gabriel again, even if only for an hour.

Throwing on his suit once again, Sam grabbed the scattered files from his desk and headed out the door, trying to make his steps as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake others in the hotel. He even closed his car door silently. Where was he even going? He asked himself, then laughed and shook his head.

"The crime scene, duh," He murmured to himself. He felt so sluggish now.

The house was one-story, with pale yellow paint and a yard that looked to be usually well kempt, but now with no one there, the grass had grown more than it should have. It still amazed Sam how a seemingly normal house could be the home to such violent acts. You weren't opening the front door to ask a neighbor for some sugar or visit an old friend because you were in town. No, you opened it to bloodstained carpets and police tape outlining murder weapons. Just the thought sent a shiver down Sam's back. Taking a calming breath, he got out of the car, leaning against it for a moment as he looked at the house. He still found himself having to mentally prepare for what he would see. The amount of blood splattered on a wall when someone's throat was merely slit was astounding, let alone twelve clean decapitations. The walls would be painted red.

"Should I be worried that you're staring at the house of an under aged teen?"

Sam jumped and looked to the side, seeing a young woman standing on the side walk, her naturally frizzy hair tied back in a ponytail to reveal her suspicious eyes. In one hand she held a leash that led to the neck of a chocolate lab, who had stopped to sniff at the grass.

"Oh, no, I'm with the FBI," Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge, showing it to the woman. She walked forward and took it in her hand, narrowing her eyes as she looked over it, even though she could probably never tell a good fake from a real badge. This must have been why she still looked up at him with distrust.

"Why would the FBI be here?" She asked, handing the badge back and crossing her arms. Her dog had now walked over, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he looked up at Sam (who badly wanted to pet him).

"There was a...murder, in that house," Sam jerked his head at the home, "I'm simply investigating it miss."

"A murder?" Her eyes widened and she held a hand to her mouth, "So that's why the cops were here...I thought they were just shutting down the party...oh Lord..." She shook her head.

"Shutting down the party? So you were around that night?" Sam asked, "What's your name?"

"Renita, Renita Beringer," The woman held her hand out as she introduced herself, and Sam took it, giving it a shake. The name didn't ring a bell, meaning she probably hadn't been interviewed yet. "Yes, yes I was here that night. Shiloh here had too many leftovers from me and I had to take him for a walk. We went right past here."

"Do you mind if I get an account of the night?" Sam asked, already reaching for a notepad in his pocket.

"Yes, yes of course," Renita nodded. Sam pulled out the pad and began writing down what Renita said, "It was around...I don't know, 10? I was walking down the street with Shiloh and the music was so loud. I saw a man coming out of the front door and stopped him, telling him to tell his pals in there to turn it down, that their poor neighbors must be livid. He just gave me a look, got in a car, and took off."

"And what did this man look like?"

"It was dark...'bout my height, broad shoulders like you, wearing some flannel and jeans, I think...His face was...rounded, I suppose..." Renita trailed off as she tried to think of more then shrugged, "That's all I've got."

Sam's heart skipped a beat. That sounded nothing like the father that lived in the home, or any of the victims. "And the car? Did you get a good look at the car?"

"Oh yes, it was this shiny white thing, nice and sleek. Low to the ground, nice round headlights. Didn't even have a bumper, just a little part sticking out at the bottom, and the front looked like it had a big, smiling face," Renita whistled, "I wish I could afford one of those. Whoever that fella was, I should have asked for his number," She laughed then paused and gasped, the realization hitting her, "Oh Lord, was that the...Do you think he...?"

Sam bit his lip as he jotted down the last of the details. Maybe he could ask Dean if he had any idea what the model was. He loved cars, after all. For now, Sam looked up at the woman. "He's a suspect, that's all I can say. Thank you for the information."

"Yes of course," Renita nodded. She continued her walk, still seeming shocked at the possibility she had talked to a murderer. Sam looked at the info. He felt bad for scarring the poor woman, but this would help loads in finding the culprit. He slipped the pad into his pocket and walked into the house, grimacing at the amount of blood dried on the wall. It looked like someone had given up halfway when repainting the house - the living room and the open kitchen was covered in the scarlet liquid. Sam took a deep breath and walked further in to examine the evidence.

 

 

"An Invicta?"

Sam's head was leaning back against the car seat, one hand holding the phone up to his ear as he talked to his brother, discussing the car. Nothing new came up in his personal investigation of the scene - it was just the same as the crime photos, which revealed pretty much nothing.

"Yeah, the Invicta S1. Usually people think of the classical Invicta models but they did release a couple newer ones in the early 2000's," Dean explained. 

"And you call me the nerd?" Sam teased.

"Shut up, cars are cool, Star Trek is nerdy," Dean said pointedly, "I might be wrong but that's my best guess."

"Thanks Dean, you're a lifesaver," Sam sighed.

"No problem Sammy. Oh, I got to go, Cas is calling. See ya," Dean said quickly, and hung up before Sam could even say bye. Sam snorted. He Loved that boyfriend of his. They had been together forever, and now Sam was just waiting for one of them to propose. Thinking of this made him think of Gabriel, so he looked at his phone screen, seeing in surprise he had gotten a text a few minutes ago from the man himself, asking if Sam was up yet. Sam glanced at the time, and it was still 8 o'clock, pretty early in the morning. He responded that he had been for a few hours, and then set his phone down to wait for a text back, only to pick it right up again as it dinged a second later. It read, "I have an hour before work. Meet me in front of your hotel ;)"

Sam couldn't stop the grin spreading on his face. He shot back an 'okay!' and flicked the key in his car, pulling out of the neighborhood, having to will himself not to go over the speed limit.

 

 

Sam slid into the passengers seat, smiling at Gabriel who smiled back, and Sam immediately noticed the aviator sunglasses pushing his hair back on his head.

"So, are you kidnapping me this time?" Sam asked jokingly, and Gabriel laughed, shaking his head.

"No, but bondage is a kink of mine, so maybe we can explore that later," Gabriel winked. Sam paused for a moment, unable to tell if Gabriel was joking or not until Gabriel laughed once again and shoved Sam playfully. "You're so gullible! I'm kidding man."

Sam let out a sigh of relief, wiping his hand across his head with an exaggerated "Phew!". "So, where are you taking me?" He asked.

"The beach," Gabriel flipped down his aviators and shot finger guns at Sam as he said this.

"...We're not on a coast though," Sam pointed out, confused.

"Haven't you heard of a cove? It's like a beach but along a lake instead of an ocean. You'll see when we get there," Gabriel was just as excited to show Sam the beach as he was going there with Sam. Just being in Gabriel's presence gave him a burst of energy, his chest feeling hot and stomach fluttering every time he looked at him. While Gabriel kept his eyes on the road, Sam sneaked glimpses at him, lingering for a second or two on his hands gripping the wheel, or the relaxed curve of his back against the seat, each time getting a jolt of a warm, tingly feeling rolling up his arms and into his heart. Is this what getting high was like? This whole morning he felt so exhausted, but now with Gabriel he felt like he could run a marathon.

With Gabriel's insane driving, it didn't take them long to leave the suburban town, as they drove past less buildings and more trees, lush with the summer rain. Sam was enjoying the country view when Gabriel practically slammed on the brakes and turned of the road onto an obscure gravel driveway, throwing Sam towards Gabriel. His arm instinctively shot to the side across Gabriel's chest, and Gabriel's did the same, their arms crossing over each other. They both glanced at each other and blushed.

"So you're dad did that too?" Sam chuckled.

"Yeah, he did," Gabriel nodded. They looked down at their arms, still in their stiff protective position, hands brushing each other's chest. Sam wondered if Gabriel could feel his heart thumping. They relaxed their arms back to their side as Gabriel drove down the secluded path, the trees stretching overhead blocking most of the light. It was almost ominous in a way, however the trees opened up into a small parking lot, right in front of a long stretch of sand, lining around one side of a lake. The early morning sun shimmered on the water in dots. It was totally quiet, not another soul in the area.

As Sam got out of the car he slipped off his jacket and tie and rolled up his sleeves, then turned to see Gabriel taking off his shoes. Sam cocked an eyebrow and Gabriel shrugged.

"What? The sand feels nice. Makes them all smooooth," He wiggled his toes and grinned.

"Good point," Sam had to agree and took off his own shoes, throwing them in the truck. They then discovered that gravel driveways weren't great for walking on, the tiny rocks hurting the soles of their feet. Sam's arms went up to keep him balanced, Gabriel doing the same. Sam watched as he looked down at the pointy rocks and frowned. So, Sam took his arm and hooked it around Gabriel's elbow, still keeping his other arm to the side. Gabriel blushed and looked up at Sam. "Come on, we are strong, independent men. We can do this," Sam said encouragingly. Gabriel grinned.

"Yes, our high levels of testosterone will protect us from the harm of shitty parking lots," Gabriel joked. They walked close together across the rocks until they reached the comfort of the sand. Gabriel was right - the sand was soft and felt like a comforting relief from his shoes that were too formal to feel good. He took a deep breath of the cool, moist air, a byproduct of the lake water. Although they had left the danger of the parking lot, Sam nor Gabriel removed their arms, locked in with one another as they walked down to the water's edge. Gabriel grinned when they got there, a wide, shit-eating grin.

"I swear to God if you push me in," Sam started, tensing as he prepared to run from Gabriel.

"Me? Push you in? I would never!" Gabriel pretended to be offended by the accusation. 

"Then what's with the grin?" Sam asked in suspicion.

"Nothing. Just thinking about how cute you are," Came Gabriel's smooth reply. Sam hadn't been prepared to that. He didn't know how to respond, his cheeks searing with heat as he looked down at the water bashfully. Gabriel chuckled and leaned against Sam, wrapping his other arm around Sam's, both of them entwined like snakes around Sam's bicep and forearm. "You know I've never felt this close to anyone before," Gabriel murmured.

Sam looked down at Gabriel. They'd known each other for barely two days, seen each other even less, yet he couldn't help but feel the same. Gabriel's outgoing demeanor, his racy sense of humor, saying jokes Sam would withhold from, it made Sam feel much more open than any other date he'd ever been on. "Me too," He agreed softly. Looking down at Gabriel's head, he risked leaning down and planting a soft kiss on his golden locks. Gabriel smiled and buried his face in Sam's chest. "What are you doing?" Sam asked with a chuckle.

"Trying to hide my blush," Gabriel's response was muffled. Sam laughed, snaking his free arm around Gabriel's waist and placing his head on top of his. Gabriel's body was warmer than the sun and all the star's combined. He wanted to be infinitely, impossibly closer to Gabriel, tipping his face into his hair and taking a deep breath. It smelled like...a vanilla candle that was just blown out. He wanted to bottle that smell, that essence, and keep it for an eternity, keep this moment for an eternity.

Then Gabriel pushed him in the water.

Sam gasped at the chilly water and looked up at Gabriel, doubled over as he cracked up.

"Gabriel!" Sam shouted, "How dare you!"

"We were getting too sappy! I had to spice it up a little," Gabriel gave a toothy smile. Sam pouted. He grabbed Gabriel's unsuspecting ankle and yanked him in, Gabriel gasping as he fell in face forwards beside him. Sam laughed as Gabriel jerked his head up, coughing. He shoved Sam and Sam shoved back, starting a long-winded water fight, splashing around like beached whales as they wrestled playfully. Finally, Sam pinned Gabriel down in shallow water. "Mercy!" Gabriel shouted. Sam obliged and let up, standing and jumping out of the water before Gabriel could grab him again. Gabriel came out of the water, brushing off his front (as if that would do anything). "Good to know I have a big, strong man to protect me now," Gabriel smirked. Sam returned the gesture, taking Gabriel's hand.

"Alright, let's get you home and warm," Gabriel and Sam ran across the sand and the hurtful driveway, sliding into Gabriel's truck. Sam sighed, looking down at his soaked shirt - you could see his chest through the material. Hopefully he hadn't just totally ruined his clothes and a good wash would fix them right up. Even if it didn't, he didn't' regret anything today for a second, especially not after looking into the twinkling golden eyes of his boyfriend. Sam swore he was an angel sent to relieve him of stress and exhaustion. 

He loved Gabriel more than he had loved anyone else.


	4. Chapter 4

Before Sam even knew it, his alarm to wake up was going off. The problem was he had never even fallen asleep in the first place.

He looked up from the victim profile he felt like he had read a thousand times already and sighed, picking up his phone. Was it really morning already? It was only now that the exhaustion hit him, letting out a loud yawn and letting his head fall down on the desk as he groaned quietly to himself. He wasn't getting anywhere. The most useful piece of information he had gotten was a suspect's car model. Maybe it would be a good idea to look for traffic cam footage. Another trip to the police department. He didn't even feel like lifting his face from the desk, let alone get dressed in another suit and interact with people. Yet he must, as that's his job and what's keeping food on the table. Sighing, he lifted himself up and slipped into a different suit (as his other one still hadn't dried completely from yesterday), this one being a charcoal gray instead of black. With that, he got in his car and headed off to the station, praying the officers didn't notice his exhaustion.

 

 

"Here, help yourself."

A heavyset police officer placed a CD in Sam's hand, labeled roughly in sharpie with the date of the murder. Sam turned it over in his hand as the officer explained that it held video of every exit out of town, back roads included. It gave Sam a little room to breath, thankful all of the roads were covered. It would save him some time. "Thank you," He nodded to the officer, suppressing yet another yawn. The officer waved his hand, saying it was no problem, as he went back to his own desk, plopping down with a nice, hot cup of coffee. Ugh, Sam would kill for a cup of coffee. He should have made some before coming, but it was too late now. No use in dwelling on the lost drinks of the past. Sam sat at a vacant desk the officer had offered him, and he had graciously taken it as the hotel one killed his back, too tall to not hunch over as he looked over every little detail. Slipping the CD in, Sam scrubbed through the footage, watching each road carefully from the approximate time the suspect left and adding on the minutes it would have taken him to get to each exit. The first one brought up nothing, same as the next one, and the one after that. Sam narrowed his eyes as he clicked through, watching and re-watching for the car, double checking the rough reference images he had pulled up for any match. To his surprise, nothing came up.

Sam rubbed his eyes with his fist and shook his head. That couldn't be right, could it? He watched for the third time. Again, nothing. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant.

The killer was still in town.

"Davies, I'm going to need some more footage, from more cameras," Sam called over his shoulder to the officer, willing himself not to sigh. Great, just when he thought he had an easy job for the day, there was a catch.

 

 

After a couple hours of scrubbing through security footage, Sam was able to at least narrow down the path. The Invicta in question was caught leaving the only exit in the neighborhood, took a left, another left, and then...

"You're telling me that all three traffic cameras at the intersection were corrupted at the exact same time?" Sam stared at Davies in disbelief, after having clicked through a large portion of black screens. The police officer scratched his dark, wiry beard and shrugged.

"They were doing maintenance on them. The repair guy probably screwed up," Officer Davies explained.

Sam ran his hand over his face. Did the universe want him to lose his job? Pinching both sides of his face, his thumb on one side and fingers on the other, blocking his squinted eyes with his hand, he shook his head. "Can you get me a map of all the roads in the city?" Sam asked, trying to keep his cool. It wasn't the stations fault, it was the stupid fucking repair guys or whatever, but come on! He'd gotten a great lead, a car shouldn't be so hard to track down! Davies obliged and handed him a map, which Sam took more roughly than he intended and rolled out on the table. Muttering the street names under his breath, he found the intersection, and grabbed a red pen from beside him as he followed each possible road the car could have pulled into. Using the pen he circled each side road the Invicta could have turned onto, each and every one of them without a traffic camera. With each circle he made his wrist made a faster motion, pressing down harder, ripping a couple holes in the map as Sam's frustration grew. There were way too many side roads. He leaned back over to the laptop and scrubbed to the traffic cameras further down each road.

No Invicta. The suspect had disappeared down a back road to God knows where. The places he could be hiding were infinite, and better yet none of the roads had a traffic camera. If he had any hope of finding this man, who was only a suspect, Sam would have to visit each street and interview anyone he could find.

Sam chuckled under his breath in spite of himself. He shoved the map back in Davies hands and slammed his own laptop shut. "Thank you for the information Davies, but maybe next time hire someone who is competent to repair cameras since they could catch a, oh I don't know, serial killer?" Sam said dryly. Davies face turned hot with embarrassment and he opened his mouth to defend himself, but Sam had already picked up his laptop, CD still inside of it, and was walking out the door.

The FBI Agent slumped in his seat and let out a long groan, slamming his head against the car wheel. All the people he would have to interview was a paperwork nightmare. Usually he had someone to lighten the load, and even then they were on fairly low-level cases for the FBI. Is this what Dean felt like? No wonder he and dad drank so much.

Just then, Sam's phone lit up with a text from Gabe. Sam took it in his hand, reading it with his forehead still against the wheel, looking down at his lap. "how's it going sam? working hard or hardly working?" Is what the text read. Sam found it funny how he didn't capitalize anything. It made it feel much more relaxed. He liked it.

"I feel like I have ankle weights on my eyes," Sam shot back.

"aw, poor baby :(," Sam snorted a little at Gabriel's sympathy, "why don't you come over my place? we can...netflix and chill ;^)"

Okay, that made Sam laugh. His stupid little emotes, somehow Sam could picture Gabriel making those same faces, a smirk lifting up his round check, his expressive eyebrows bouncing around as he talked.

"Sounds awesome," Sam typed, then looking down at his suit, which was way unacceptable for just a casual date, he added, "I'll go back to my place and slip into something more comfortable. Give me your address and I'll be over soon."

"why does it have to be something, can't it be nothing?" Gabriel's risqué teasing tone was perfectly conveyed through text.

"Maybe next time," Sam teased back, then set the phone aside as he drove back to the hotel.

 

 

Sam knocked on Gabriel's door, then shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. They were black, with a white waistband that had the brand printed across it, the same white used on the cuffs that hugged his ankles softly. The brand name didn't even matter as they were hidden beneath Sam's gray shirt and cozy brown hoodie. As he waited patiently for Gabriel to answer, he glanced up and down his house. Much like the other houses, it looked to be one-story, with made a basement underground. The walls were painted white, though time had made it's mark and faded the color a bit. The windows had their blinds drawn, so Sam didn't see Gabriel until he opened the door, smiling up at Sam. He was dressed in his own pair of sweats, though they were a plain gray and the bottoms hung loosely over his feet, paired with a white tank top.

"Wow. Weird not seeing you in uniform," Gabriel noted, looking Sam up and down, his ears burning red as he did, "You look...cute."

"Right back at ya'," Sam could feel his own ears heat up as he examined Gabriel's clothing. It was odd but nice to see him in something other than work clothes. Which reminded Sam...

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Sam asked, confused.

"I called in sick, the boss doesn't give a crap. I mean, how many people can die in a day?" Gabriel shrugged.

"Twelve," Sam answered, thinking of his own case, which pestered him in the back of his mind.

"Oh, right...Don't think about the case! Or work! Work's dumb as hell, let's just focus on whatever dumb movie we can find on Netflix," Gabriel grabbed Sam's hand and dragged him inside, Sam smiling wide at what he saw. In Gabriel's small living room, he had unfolded his couch into a bed and covered it in blankets and pillows for them to lay on. The room was dark, as all the windows were covered by blinds, but the room was dimly lit by the light of the screen and the various tea light candles Gabriel had lit around the room, giving it a romantic ambiance, despite Gabriel's home not being very big or tidy. Gabe walked into the middle of the room and held out his hands. "Ta-da!" He grinned and Sam couldn't stop himself from giving Gabriel a tight hug, Gabriel immediately returning it. Sam pulled away for a moment and leaned down, planting a kiss on Gabriel's lips. At first, Gabe didn't react, but then he began to kiss back. The moment dragged out as Sam felt Gabe's lips - they were chapped, in desperate need of some lip balm, but they tasted sweet. Sweet lips for a sweet man. It made sense. Out of all the things Sam was trying to figure out, this, Gabriel, made sense.

Sam pulled back, looking down at Gabriel, whose face was scarlet, though he was grinning the whole time. Sam grinned back, his hands still placed gently against Gabe's lower back.

"Thank you, Gabe. It's beautiful," Sam murmured softly.

"Not as beautiful as you," Gabriel returned.

"God damn it you're slick."

Gabriel laughed. "You bet your ass I am. Slick as a greaser. Oh! Grease! That'd be a good movie to watch."

Sam sucked in through his teeth, "Maybe I kissed you too soon."

"What!? What's wrong with Grease?" Gabriel asked, putting both hands on his hips as he raised an eyebrow at Sam.

"Musicals have never been my thing. They're too...dramatic," Sam did jazz hands for emphasis.

"If Grease is too dramatic for you, and you plan on dating me, you better get used to some drama," Gabriel snorted, "A high energy, upbeat musical is just what you need! It'll wake you up a bit! Get those feet moving," As Gabriel said this he grabbed Sam's hand and raised it, making him twirl Gabriel into him and then back out. Sam laughed.

"Alright, fine, you win. But if I walk in here tomorrow with a poodle skirt, that's all on you man," Sam warned. Gabe laughed and pulled Sam onto the fold out bed, snuggling up beside Sam under the blankets and balancing a bucket of popcorn precariously between the two of them as he put the movie up on the TV, the two settling into comfortable silence as they watched, both picking at the popcorn.

Gabriel seemed to know the parts of every character in every song as he sang them all, even trying to sing parts where characters overlapped, often ending in a garbled mess and him choking on his own saliva. At first Sam rolled his eyes but then began to sing the parts that repeated or a second behind another character to stop Gabriel from killing himself over a song. Eventually though, Sam's tiredness came back in between songs, and he found it harder to keep awake. The last thing he wanted to do was fall asleep for the limited time he allowed himself to have with Gabriel, yet he was so comfortable like this. He pulled his legs up so his heels touched his thigh and shrank down a little bit, putting his head on Gabriel's shoulder. Gabriel glanced at Sam and put a hand on his thigh. "Get some rest," Gabriel murmured. Sam let out a low sigh and closed his eyes, obeying Gabriel as he found himself pulled into a deep sleep.

 

 

When Sam awoke, he was in the bed of an unfamiliar room. He yawned, somehow feeling more tired than before, and sat up, trying to figure out where he was. He stood and crossed the room, opening the door and finding himself back in Gabriel's living room. Blushing, Sam realized he had been sleeping in Gabriel's bed, and that somehow the smaller man had managed to lug him in there. "Gabriel?" Sam called, looking around for him. On cue, Gabriel's head popped out from a doorway, hair looking disheveld and face red.

"Hey! You're awake!" Gabriel sighed, "I, uh, tried to surprise you, but I'm not so great at baking."

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "You didn't burn down the house and kill us so now we're ghosts, did you?" He asked.

"No, no, if I did that I'd be in hell right now for how bad these cookies are. Whoever judges the Great British Bake-Off would be saying a lot of British swear words right now if they saw this."

Sam walked up beside Gabriel and looked at the kitchen. The counter was covered in flour and mixing bowls, and in the middle of the chaos was a tray with criminally undercooked cookies on them. Sam couldn't stop himself from laughing at the mess as he walked over and picked up a cookie, holding it flat in his palm as he was afraid it would crumble on contact. Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Sam shrugged and took a bite of the cookie. It was oddly...Doughy? Almost chewy, in a sense. Despite this he swallowed and shrugged. "Don't worry, I can't do much better either," Sam said honestly, putting an arm around Gabriel's shoulders, then planting a kiss on the top of this head (which somehow had some flour on it). "Thank you for trying. It means a lot." When was the last time someone had cooked for him that wasn't a restaurant chef? Dad had never been much of a cook, and Dean tried to the best he could. It was nice to know Gabriel cared about him.

Gabriel leaned against Sam, hands holding Sam's as he pulled his forearm around his neck. "How'd you sleep? You better have been comfortable, it took me forever to lug you onto that bed. This is why I usually don't date people taller than me," Gabe shoved Sam playfully.

"It was refreshing, thank you. How long was I out for anyways?"

"About two hours," Gabriel shrugged, "Give or take."

"Two hours?" Sam let out a low whistle and looked at the time. It was already two in the afternoon! "Damn, I think I overstayed my visit, I got to get back to work!" Sam turned to grab his stuff but Gabriel tightened his grip on Sam's hand.

"Sam, wait," Gabriel talked low and serious. Sam turned around in surprise, Gabriel's concerned eyes looking up at him, "This case is tearing you apart, man. I didn't want to say anything but you looked pretty rough when you first came here. Not your clothes or anything just...your eyes..." Gabriel trailed off for a moment, and Sam could tell the slight shift in his gaze from Sam's eyes to the dark bags that surely hung beneath them, "...You need some rest. Like, a  _lot_ of rest."

"Gabe..." Sam cupped Gabriel's cheek, "I...thank you for being concerned about me, it's really...endearing..." The warmness of Gabriel's cheeks made his own feel hot, "But I need to get this done. I've been working my whole life to get a job like this, and if I can't solve this case, it will all be gone, just like that," Sam snapped his fingers for emphasis. Just thinking about all of his hard work, going to waste, made Sam feel sick to his stomach. But he put on a strong face, smiling softly and running his thumb gently across Gabriel's cheek. "I'm okay. I'll be fine."

Gabe frowned, not quite convinced. He threw his arms around Sam's neck and pulled his head down, kissing him roughly. When they pulled away, Sam's hand was still on Gabriel's cheek, and he hesitantly pulled it away. "You better get some rest tonight," Gabriel's voice turned sharp, like that of a stern mother as he pointed at Sam's chest, "Tomorrow we're going on a hella fun date, and if you fall asleep during it, I'm going to slip sedatives in your drink to make you sleep for a week," Gabriel threatened. Sam laughed softly.

"Alright, it's a deal then," Sam nodded. He gave Gabriel one last tight embrace, lifting him an inch off the ground before he let go. Gabriel's eyes widened and he reached a hand up, squeezing Sam's muscular bicep. "Damn, you're strong," he commented. Sam blushed and he flexed his arm, Gabriel perking as he felt the tendons move beneath his fingers. He retracted his hand. "What the hell do you lift, trees? Thor's hammer?"

"Nope, just short boyfriends," As he said this, Sam bent and swooped his arm under Gabriel's knees, scooping him up in a bridal carry. Gabriel yipped in surprise and looked at Sam, who was grinning wide. He effortlessly walked to the living room and threw Gabriel down on the bed, the blond letting out a grunt as he landed.

"Holy moly! Yup, I've definitely got the hots for you now," Gabriel joked, and Sam laughed.

"Okay Gabe, I really have to go now. See you tomorrow?" Sam raised an eyebrow at Gabriel.

"Yup! Already planning an excuse to blow off work as we speak," Gabriel affirmed with a grin, "Really, go easy on yourself Sam. I don't want to see you so overworked," He added in a more serious tone.

"With you around, I think I'll be okay," Sam smiled. He grabbed his jacket and left, sighing dreamily the moment he closed the door, walking out to the car and slipping into his seat. He hadn't even checked his phone since he'd been with Gabriel. Clicking it open, he immediately felt his stomach drop. One missed call from Dean, and twenty-three from Dad, both from about two hours ago. Sam bit his lip and tapped his father in his contacts. The phone didn't even ring once before John picked up.

"What the hell have you been doing?" Was his dad's first words, sharp with fury. Sam clenched his jaw.

"My case is going just fine, how's you're day going dad?" Sam replied sarcastically.

"Don't be a smartass Sam, Dean said he tried to get a hold of you and you didn't answer, what were you doing?" John snapped.

"I was  _sleeping_ _!_ God damn it dad, I was sleeping for a couple hours after I pulled an all-nighter, alright!?" Sam shouted. His face burned, even though his dad couldn't see him. He knew John was fine with Dean and Cas dating, but he didn't want to share his romantic life with him. He never asked, so what does he care who he dates? So that's why he didn't even mention Gabriel.

"We were worried sick about you Sam, you always have your phone on, you always pick up," John explained, his tone still sharp, "This line of business is dangerous - "

"So why did you drag me into it?" Sam retorted.

Silence.

"You wanted to -"

"Yes, I did want to, but you didn't even give me much of a choice in the first place. You -" Sam stopped himself and shook his head. They'd had this conversation a million times before. "I'm busy. Tell Dean I'll call him back later."

"Sam-"

_Click._

Sam sighed and threw his phone onto the passengers seat, which is when he noticed his boyfriend staring through the window, frowning. Sam jumped, not expecting to see him there, then rolled down the window.

"I heard you yelling. You okay?" Gabriel asked, tilting his head in worry.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just...the old man being a dick is all," Sam snorted, throwing his hands up in the air then letting them fall back on the wheel, "Same old same old."

"Damn, I get you. My old man is kind of a dick too..." Gabriel trailed off, eyes dark, then shook his head, "Why don't we vent our tragic backstories to each other another time? You already got enough on your plate."

"Sounds good to me," Sam agreed with a sigh, glad Gabriel didn't push him to talk about his feelings or whatever like Dean did. "See you tomorrow babe," Sam leaned over the center console and gave Gabriel a kiss on the cheek. As he drove away, he looked in his mirror to see Gabriel waving him goodbye. Sam smiled slightly and looked ahead, looking forward to tomorrow...and maybe even a good nights sleep, for once.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately I'm back in school, so updates may not come as regularly or as soon as possible. But don't worry, I'll still be writing! If I ever decided to stop this fic short (which likely won't happen) I'll post a chapter just saying I'm done. Anyways, hope you like this chapter!

Sam's knuckles rapped on the door of yet another house, sighing as he waited for an answer. He had begun his lengthy mission to interview the people on the possible streets the killer could have disappeared down. So far, he'd been at it for five hours since he woke up, and he had barely made a dent. A total of three people had already accused him of hiding aliens in the government and practically held him hostage for answers. Now that was something he had to tell Gabriel, he could picture him laughing his ass off already.

Just as he was about to knock again, the resident opened the door, and Sam had to admit he was surprised to see Officer Davies standing there, looking just about ready to leave for work.

"Officer Davies?" Sam raised his eyebrows, "This is...your house?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You didn't care to mention you lived on one of the streets the murderer could have escaped down?" Sam asked skeptically.

The officer shrugged. "Didn't cross my mind, no."

There was an awkward tension in the air between them, after the way Sam had left the other day. Sam tried to not let this bother him as he clicked his pen, holding up a notepad in the other hand. "Well, seeing as you already know the situation, did you happen to see -"

"You don't think I would have told you if I had?" Davies interrupted. Sam's hand froze in the air. What an asshole, he knew this was just routine! Unwilling to let an insubordinate officer get to him, Sam remained eye contact, keeping a straight face.

"You didn't seem to tell the repair guys to do a good job on those traffic cameras," Sam responded, ice lacing his voice. This made Davies act oddly, as he broke their eye contact and looked at the ground.

"Look, I'm sorry, but that wasn't my fault," Davies said with a sigh.

"Of course it wasn't," Sam said with a hint of sarcasm, clicking his pen back closed and slipping the pad and pen into his deep pocket. "See you at the station, Davies." With a wave of the hand, Sam walked down Davies steps, past the officer's car (which was parked in the driveway instead of the garage - Sam never did understand people who did that), and got into his own car, starting it up to head to the next street, when his phone buzzed against the leather of the passenger's seat. Sam picked it up, praying it wasn't his father, and let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was Gabriel.

"boss thinks I'm getting an ingrown toenail removed. ready for our date?" Gabriel's text read. Sam snorted. He glanced over the map that had the streets he had already visited crossed off. Deciding he had made a considerable dent in them, he gave himself a pat on the back, thinking he had well-earned a break.

"I'm always ready," Sam typed back.

"nice! meet me at hanson's arcade. look it up," Came Gabriel's text. Sam, for the first time, questioned Gabriel's choice in a date. An arcade? What were they, twelve? Well, it was better than nothing. Besides, how could he pass up his only chance to see Gabriel again? Agreeing, he looked up the arcade and followed the voice of Google Maps to the location. It was in a rundown plaza, with a parking lot as cracked as Sam's dry skin, making it a bit harder to park as his car bumped over the faded asphalt. The place didn't look too big from the outside, as it was one story with a flickering neon sign over the entrance that read "Hanson's Arcade" in loopy letters. Sam felt like he had walked onto the set of a 90's teen movie.

Gabriel was waiting outside, leaning against the wall, his head ironically against a sign that said "NO LOITERING". At the sound of Sam's car door shutting, Gabriel lifted his head and smiled, his eyes flashing bright with excitement. He ran up to Sam and wrapped him in his arms, nearly tackling him. Sam grunted but laughed, giving him a tight squeeze in return.

"So, an arcade, huh? How old are you again?" Sam asked with a teasing smirk.

Gabriel pulled away and shrugged. "There's not much to do in this town. But we always have fun together, right?" Gabriel nudged Sam with his elbow as the Winchester rolled his eyes, "Come on, let's go get some tokens."

"Alright, but my mom says I have to be home by 7," Sam ruffled Gabriel's hair sarcastically, and Gabriel shoved him again as they walked through the door. The place was dark, and Sam had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't actually nighttime. The carpets glowed lightly with rounded shapes, screaming a retro 70s vibe, and the silhouettes of kids and young adults against the lit up arcade machines surrounded them. Sam breathed in. Ah yes, the musty scent of sweaty, undergoing puberty children and cheap snacks from the vending machines. Sam had to will himself not to collapse under the nostalgia, those nights when he was lucky enough to save up enough money for a decent gaming session and get away from home for a little while, rationing out his tokens carefully.

“Yo, Samsquatch,” Gabriel was snapping his fingers in front of his face, bringing him back to reality, “What is it? Did you find a guy cuter than me?” He looked in the direction of a prize counter, and crossed his arms, “God damn it, I should've known you liked guys with patchy puberty beards.”

“No, no, that feels super weird when you're kissing them. One of the reasons I didn't really date guys in my senior year. It felt like I was kissing a grill brush,” Sam waved a hand dismissively.

“So you like this baby face huh? What if I did grow a beard?” Gabriel ran a hand along his smooth face, looking at himself in the reflection of a crane machine’s glass.

“With your long hair? You'd look like a hippie,” Sam grinned as Gabriel's mouth went wide in mock offense.

“Just for that, I'm going to beat your ass at laser tag,” Gabriel said determinedly.

“Laser tag?” Only now was Sam noticing that towards the back of the building was a large sign in vaporwave looking lettering that said “LAZER TAG” (as somehow people still thought replacing ‘s’ with a ‘z’ was cool). Sam smirked and cocked an eyebrow at Gabriel, which he felt he did far too often at his boyfriend. “You do realize I'm a trained professional when it comes to finding criminals and shooting them, right?”

“Well I'm not a criminal, I'm your boyfriend,” Gabriel pointed out like the smartass he was, “And you're not trained with lasers, unless that's a government secret you're willing to spill.”

“We don't have laser guns, but we have rays to make people fall in love with us. I'm actually out here testing one.”

“Well, I can assure you it's working great,” Gabriel reached up on his tip toes and gave Sam a kiss, earning a groan of disgust from a bunch of twelve year-olds who had glanced in their direction. Sam glanced at them and winked, before Gabriel grabbed his hand and hauled him off to the laser tag.

Other than the girl in charge of going over the rules giving them an odd look, all the other kids seemed to be pretty excited by playing with a couple of grown men, already naming them captains and betting each other which one would win against the other. Sam decided to keep his profession quiet for now. He smirked and looked at Gabriel, who was enthusiastically laughing and high-fiving a bunch of the other kids, gathering them into a fake huddle. Sam had never been the best with kids - that had always been Dean's thing really - he never knew what to say to them, especially the younger ones who he could barely understand. He did every summer gig except baby-sitting because of this, despite baby-sitting yielding the most money. It was interesting to watch Gabriel get along so comfortably with the kids. Sam supposed they felt the same way Sam did about him. That Gabriel had this energy that swept over him, made him melt into this vulnerable pool of soft butter. It was one of the best feelings in the world, so it was no wonder kids were so attracted to him.

Sam stopped staring as an announcement came over a speaker that the match was about to begin. They had all suited up in the vests, with cheap LEDs plastered on the front and back, equipped with a light plastic gun. Sam turned it over in his hand once more before sharing one last glance with Gabriel, grinning confidently, as they were ushered out the door onto their separate playing fields. The room was dark, with this eerie purple light glowing about it, and fake rock walls spotted the room, creating twists and turns, endless hiding spots. The sound of whirring fog machines filled the air as a thick mist covered the floor, masking the sound of footsteps as everyone ran into their positions. Carefully, Sam took his gun in both hands, stepping around the walls as he advanced forward. It had grown quiet, everyone taking a moment to assess their situation. Then the cheesy laser sound effects filled the air, and the playful screams of children, along with the pounding of sneakers as they fled from one another. Sam held in a laugh. This was all so silly, yet he was loving it. Something about having a "gun" in his hand while he was hunting fake criminals instead of real ones was a lot more enjoyable. 

Speaking of which, he believed his "criminal" had just appeared to his left, back facing him. It was probably him, unless there was another 5'8'' kid. Silently, Sam took a step towards him and pressed his gun against the panel on Gabriel's back, making him freeze.

"Gotcha," Sam whispered in his ear.

Gabriel sighed, putting his hands up in defeat. "Yeah, I guess you really did, you - HIYA!" Gabriel spun around and tried to smack Sam's gun from his hand, but Sam used his free one to grab Gabriel by the front of his vest and slam him against the fake wall so hard it shook under the force. Sam stared into Gabriel's eyes, their faces only an inch apart like this, the tips of their noses brushing. Their faces lit up neon blue and red with the faintest touch of purple from the LEDs blinking on their fake vestsn and Sam couldn't help but think Gabriel looked beautiful, like a living filter, his whiskey eyes shining bright in the light, handsome features defined by the shadows. Without thinking, Sam leaned down and kissed Gabriel, long and hard, still holding him against the rock wall. He could feel Gabriel shift his hands, and though Sam thought he was doing this to cup his face or grab his back, he instead heard the shot of a laser gun and the vibration of his vest. Sam opened his eyes and pulled away, looking at Gabriel's gun pointed at his chest. 

"Oh, how the tables have turned," Gabriel grinned and laughed as Sam threw his hands up in frustration, ranting about broken trust as he shot Gabriel right back, causing the golden haired traitor to flee. Sam gave chase (trying not to trample any kids), shooting his back the whole time.

In the end, it was Sam's team who triumphed, most likely because of all the points Sam had earned from continuously shooting Gabriel. While the kids invited them to have pizza, the two politely declined as Sam realized he'd have to leave soon. Walking back through the arcade, Sam stopped as his eye glanced over a crane machine. Telling Gabriel to wait, he slipped a few quarters in and tried his luck at winning one of the plushes inside. Gabriel snorted and crossed his arms. "Really Sam? You know those things are rigged, right? There's no way you -" Gabriel stopped as the claw grasped a doll firmly and dropped it into the hole. Sam reached in and handed it to Gabriel. It was a Dig-Dug Pooka Plushie, kind of weird but pretty adorable, in its own way. Gabriel blushed and hugged Sam in thanks.

"Now you're a winner too. We're even," Sam grabbed Gabriel's hand as they continued walking.

"This is our new son now. His name is Paul, and once you go back to..."

"Kansas," Sam filled in the blank.

"Yeah, there, you can see him on the weekends."

"And Wednesdays?"

"Fine."

"Glad we got that settled," Sam joked turning to Gabriel as they walked out the entrance. "I'll see you tomorrow, babe," Sam promised, giving Gabriel a kiss on the head.

"Oh, yeah! I probably won't be able to skip work again, so how about tomorrow at 7 we go out to dinner? I'll text you the place, you can meet me there," Gabriel explained.

Sam frowned. 7 p.m. sounded like it was ages away. It was better than nothing though, wasn't it? He nodded. "I'll see you then," he murmured, reluctantly letting go of Gabriel's hand as he ducked down into his car. He made sure Gabriel left safely before he pulled out and sighed dreamily. Then, picking up the map, he tried to focus his mind filled with thoughts and hopes for their dinner date back onto collecting testimonies.


	6. Chapter 6

"Deeean, come on man, you gotta help me," Sam practically begged his brother as he looked down at him on his phone, his head held up by his hands, pushing up his cheeks so they squished his pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry Sammy, there's not much I can really do while I'm not there," Dean answered gently, "You've done everything right, that I can think of anyways. I'm sure the boss will be understanding. They did give you a hard case after all, which is bullshit for your first solo."

Sam sighed and covered his face, his hair falling in front of it. He had come to a screeching halt. He'd interviewed everyone he could on every one of those streets and come up with half a small notebook of useless information. At most he had a day or two before he was called back for an update, and all he could show for so many nights of work was a lead gone cold. It was utterly humiliating.

"Come on now Sammy, you're a Winchester! Toughen up!" Dean's aggressive love made Sam peek through his fingers at his brother's narrowed eyes, "Like I said, this is a shitty solo case on their part. I could do some talking with the boss, make him go easy on you," He offered.

"No, no," Sam waved his hand dismissively, "Then he'll think I'm a...a..." Sam trailed off, having trouble finding the right word.

"A pussy?" Dean filled in for him.

"Yeah, sure, that works," Sam shrugged, really not caring.

"No he wouldn't! Hey, dad and him are pretty close, maybe -"

"No, nope, no help from dad," Sam rejected the idea.

"You know dad feels super shitty for yelling at you the other day."

"You know you say shit and shitty a lot?" Sam shot back. Dad was the last person, the last thing, that Sam wanted to talk about right now. If his dad was going to be a dick to him, then he'd be a dick right back.

"If you could just answer his texts, or tell me a message to pass on -"

"Trying to deal with family issues isn't exactly another problem I want piled on my plate of problems right now, Dean."

"Well you can't just ignore him forever!" Dean raised his voice a little.

"I'm not saying I will! I just - I just need some time, alright? Give me a break Dean, I called you for advice, not to talk about our feelings!" Sam shouted, losing his grip on his temper. Sam saw Dean's jaw clench and he gulped, looking at Sam with the burning gaze of disapproval. Sam broke eye contact and glanced at the time on the phone, jolting up as he realized it was ten minutes past 7. He was late for his date. "Shit," he muttered under his breath, "We can talk about this later Dean, I got to go, I'm late for my date."

"So you have time to talk to this boy toy you met barely a week ago and not dad?" Dean asked coldly. Sam scowled at Dean.

"Gabriel cares about me and helps relieve my stress so I don't have a fucking heart attack. You're just trying to get me to kiss dad's ass."

"So you think I don't care about you?" Sam's stomach dropped at Dean's words. Sam sighed and shook his head.

"That's not what I - I'll call you back later." Before Dean could say anything else Sam hung up. He sighed, glancing at himself one last time in the mirror - he wore a black button-up with swirling white patterns on it, messily tucked into his black slacks. Running his fingers through his hair, he grabbed his car keys and headed out the door, praying that Gabriel didn't think he was standing him up.

 

 

When Sam walked into the restaurant, all he could think was "expensive". The ceilings were high and painted with constellations, reflecting off the shiny marbled floors. Sam's eyes scanned the cloth-draped tables for Gabriel's honey head of hair but saw nothing of the sort. When he asked the waitress at the counter if a man named Gabriel had come in, she shook her head. Sam frowned worriedly. Gabriel had never been late for a date. He was always the first one at a place. Following the waitress, he sat down at one of the candle-lit tables, simply asking for a glass of water while he waited. It was already 7:25. Maybe Gabriel had come, then left thinking Sam had forgotten or stood him up. Sam bounced his leg up and down worried as he took out his phone and texted Gabriel, asking where he was, then slipped it back in his pocket. Fifteen more minutes went by. No response. After the waitress asked once again if anyone was coming, Sam's phone rang. He picked it up, and narrowed his eyes as he saw it was Gabriel calling. That was odd. Gabriel had only ever texted him, never called him. He answered it, at least glad that Gabriel was okay.

"Gabe? Where are you?" Sam asked.

"Oh, thank God, Sam," Gabriel breathed out in relief. His voice sound hushed, barely above a whisper, and by the way Sam could clearly hear his quick breathing, his mouth was close to the microphone.

"What's wrong?" Sam began to worry he had spoken too soon.

"Well, I was like halfway to the restaurant when I realized I'd forgotten my wallet at work, so I went back and opened the place back up to grab it, but then I - I heard someone. They broke the window and - and I got scared so I ran downstairs and now I'm hiding in a cabinet, but now I think they're down here too," Gabriel explained quickly. Sam's heart pounded. He stood and rushed past the waiter coming back to him.

"Stay right there, I'm coming," Sam assured calmly.

"Trust me, you don't have to tell me twice." Well, at least his sarcastic wit was still there.

"I'm going to hang up the phone so they don't hear you, but I'm coming, I promise."

"Sam, please," Gabriel's voice shook, "Don't, don't hang up, I need you."

Sam gulped as he grabbed a pistol from his trunk and slid into his driver's seat. "I know, I know, and I'm going to be there, but for now I'm going to hang up. Trust me Gabe."

"Sam -"

 _Click_. Sam hung up the phone and turned the key, honking at people to get out of the way as he sped out of the parking lot, cutting corners wherever he could to get to Gabriel's work in time.

When he pulled up to the funeral home, there were two cars - Gabriel's red truck, and a Honda minivan. So it wasn't the same man Sam was after. That at least gave Sam some relief. Maybe it was an unarmed robber, which was still bad but at least they couldn't hurt anyone. Sam walked up cautiously, pistol pointed forward, the weight reassuring in his hand as he used it to carefully nudge the door open. The place was dark, shut down for the night, yet the moonlight allowed Sam to see the glass shattered on the ground from a window in the room to the right. Sam glanced over the floor for any evidence, then looked up as he heard thumping downstairs. Snapping to attention, he opened the door and crept down, stepping as lightly as he could on the rickety steps. As he reached the bottom he pressed up against the right wall that bordered the stairwell and peered in, watching a shadowy silhouette toy with a body covered by cloth, the shine of a dim light bouncing off a knife. Sam narrowed his eyes, trying to examine the suspect before he charged them. They looked young, at most in their early twenties, a woman with long dark hair and a slender build - almost too skinny. She should be no problem to take down if she resorts to violence.

"FBI, put your hands in the air!" Sam shouted as he stepped out from the shadows, gun pointed at the woman. She looked up, startled. Her eyes then traveled to the gun and she laughed, giving Sam a toothy grin. An emphasis on _toothy_ \- her teeth were narrowed into lean spikes, overlapping one another. What the hell was that, some kind of implant? A scare tactic? It certainly caught Sam off guard, and seeing this the woman charged at him. Upon reflex, Sam shot her, landing a hit in her chest. She stopped and looked down, and at first Sam felt worried. If she died he'd be in a shit ton of trouble, and her blood would be on his hands. But she didn't collapse - she simply looked up with that same toothy grin as her wound trickled slowly.

Sam stared in shock as the woman lunged at him. He pulled his trigger again but the woman knocked his gun across the floor with one hand as she stabbed him in the side with her other. Sam grunted in pain and stumbled back, grasping the handle sticking from his side. He looked up with wide eyes into the dilated pupils of the woman. Unsure of what to do he froze, putting a hand up in an attempt to hold her back. Then two hands grabbed the woman's shoulders and threw her against the wall. Sam smiled slightly as he saw Gabriel standing there, trying to hold the girl in place. His eyes were narrowed with effort. Fuck, did he have muscles or what? Sam shook his head, screaming at himself that now was not the time. Gritting his teeth, one hand still applying pressure around the blade stuck in his side, trying to keep as much blood as he could still in him, he stretched over and grabbed a needle, filled with a dark red substance. It was something sharp, hopefully it would do more damage than a bullet.

"Sam, hurry up!" Gabriel shouted, leaning his head back as the girl tried to snap at him with those pointed teeth. At his name, the girl snapped it's head towards Sam. Her eyes went wide, flashing with fear for a moment as Sam lunged at her, to stick the needle in her. She screamed and kicked Gabriel in the stomach, her strength supernatural in ability, flinging him into a metal table. Gabriel yelled and fell to the ground, dazed as the table had hit him hard in the back. Sam looked down at the needle. Why was she scared of this but not a gun? Sam lunged at her with the needle again, and instead of attacking she scrambled backwards, keeping herself out of reach as she pulled the second empty table in front of herself. Sam used this to his advantage and shoved the table into her, pinning her against a wall. She screamed, struggling to free herself, then stopped once Sam sank the needle into her arm, slamming the plunger down. Instantaneously, her body relaxed. Her extra teeth retracted and her eyes closed as she fell limp. Sam looked down at the needle. What had been in it in the first place?

"Is she dead?" Gabriel asked from the ground, pulling himself up on the table, a hand on his ribs.

"No...she's still breathing..." Sam turned to looked at Gabriel.

"Holy shit Sam, your side!" Gabriel looked down at the knife in horror. Sam followed his gaze and took his hand off for a moment, soaked in blood. He tried to take a step towards Gabriel but fell to his knees, sucking inwardly through his teeth. "Don't move," Gabriel warned. He went stiffly to the cabinets and shuffled through them, letting out a painful groan as he reached up, muttering about broken ribs as his hands rustled through the supplies. He came down with bandages and kneeled beside Sam. "I wish this was a better setting to say this, but take your shirt off." Sam laughed then cursed quietly at the pain in his side. He took his shirt off and tossed it aside, Gabriel glancing at it. "Too bad there's all that blood on it, you looked so good in that shirt. Did you wear it just for me?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood as usual.

"Stop making me laugh," Sam grimaced as he chuckled.

"Sorry, sorry," Gabe murmured as he took a hold of the the knife handle. Panic shot through Sam and he grabbed Gabriel's hand over the handle. Gabriel smirked. "I thought you were supposed to be a badass FBI agent."

"I can still feel pain," Sam muttered.

"Alright, we both pull on three. One, two -"

Sam shouted as Gabriel pulled the knife out preemptively, then began hurriedly wrapping his side in bandages.

"Son of a bitch Gabriel, what the hell!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Gabriel apologized, "We can still go out after this, right?"

"Not if you keep yanking shit out of me like that, and don't make that into an innuendo," Sam added the last part pointedly as he saw the beginnings of Gabriel's grin.

As soon as Gabriel finished, Sam stood, looking behind him at the woman. "What the hell was in that needle anyways?"

"Dead man's blood."

Sam whirled around at the sound of an unknown voice, putting an arm protectively in front of Gabriel, who smacked it away, protesting that he was "A strong, independent man." In front of them stood a man, around Gabriel's height, wearing a flannel shirt and dark jeans, both worn from years of rough use. He looked between the two with his dark eyes, almost black, peering from skin almost just as dark. What really drew Sam's eyes, however, was the heavy machete he held in one hand. The suspect sketch, the evidence, it all came rushing back to Sam. He grabbed the knife that had just been buried in him and pointed it at the man. "Don't move! You're under arrest for the murder of twelve people."

The killer held his hands up, defensively in front of his chest, still holding onto his weapon, "Whoa, chill man, I can explain everyt-"

"Drop the weapon!" Sam shouted.

The killer glanced at the girl limp behind them, "You don't want me to do that, just let me-"

"I said drop it!"

The killer glanced at Sam, then back at the girl, before complying and dropping it to the ground, kicking it away. He held his hands back up. "Alright, there, see? Now can I talk?"

"Don't be a smartass."

"You're really pushy you know that?"

Sam marched towards the man and held the knife to his throat.

"You better talk fast," Sam growled, "That girl almost killed me!"

"Well, she's not a girl. I mean, not a human at least," the killer said, "That right there is a vampire, and so are the twelve other people I killed."

"That's impossible, stop playing games -" Sam stopped as Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder, and they shared a glance.

"I don't know Sam, that bitch had teeth spiker than Sonic's hair. And she survived a gunshot. And broke a couple ribs, I think," Gabriel pointed out, "He might be telling the truth. This is the other FBI Agent I told you about when you first called, remember? Agent Wells?"

"Exactly, thank you, but my real name is Leandro Amengual," The killer smiled at Gabriel, then pointed at the girl, "Her and her friends were causing a ton of trouble, murdering people and animals alike, so I did what hunters do best and killed them. Except her and her vamp parents, they ran off and hid. Until now I couldn't find them, but then I did and while killing her parents I realized she was starting up her car to get out of here. Took me a while but I tracked her down and here we are."

Sam's head swirled with questions. "Hunter? What do you mean by hunter?"

"I mean people who kill monsters. Yes, monsters are real, vampires, wendigos, werewolves, ghouls, djinns, ghosts, all of them are real," Leandro explained, as though he was bored by it, exasperation lining his voice as he listed off the monsters.

Sam lowered his knife slightly, but he still wasn't convinced. "Prove it. That this wasn't a prank or trick."

Leandro sighed and looked at the body on the table, the one the woman had been tinkering with. "If that vampire attacking you wasn't enough to prove it, then fine, let me show you this," He walked to the side of the body, an African American 17 year-old, and lifted the lips of the decapitated head. Sam squinted at the pin-prick holes lining his gums. Leandro pressed on the gums and extra teeth popped out of them. "This is what that girl was trying to hide. If the word gets out into the public about vampires, then they're screwed. She wanted to cut out their jaws." Sam narrowed his eyes and looked up at Leandro, who looked back at him and Gabriel expectantly. Sam lowered his knife, wiping a hand slowly over his face, still trying to process what this guy was saying.

"So...what the hell happened?" Gabriel asked for Sam, taking a hold of Sam's hand.

Leandro leaned against the table, taking a deep breath as he began his long explanation. "There were reports of a crazy number of unsolved murders and kidnappings cropping up, so I came in to investigate. I posed as an FBI agent to get the information I needed from the police station, where I met officer Davies, who knew a hunter when he saw one and agreed to help me out if I needed it. Then when I came to look at the bodies, I took some blood from a dead man to use as a sedative on the vampires. Word from the neighbors told me the girl was having a party at her house with all her friends. So I walked in, slipped them some blood, and decapitated them, though the girl and her vampiric parents got away. I knew that there was no way to cover up the scene I had left, so I called Davies and asked him to kill the traffic cameras and if I could crash at his place. He said yes, stashed my car in his garage, and let me stay there where I tried to find the last three vampires. Long story short, I found them, and here we are."

"What do you mean you slipped them the blood?" Sam asked.

"Kids these days and their drugs. Told them it was some new thing and they took it. The needles were thin enough that they didn't leave a mark."

Sam nodded. It made much more sense now, the unexplained blood sample from the autopsy. Gabriel was silent, taking it all in. Sam eyes snapped behind him as he heard a groan come from the vampire. The hunter looked over as well, then casually walked up to her and slammed his machete through her throat, making a clean slice. It was chilling how calm he was, how natural Leandro’s movements more.

“How do you get to that point?” Sam asked without thinking. Leandro turned.

“The point of being a hunter?” Leandro asked.

“The point where...you looked so cold while doing it.”

Leandro looked down at the machete in his hand and his eyes darkened. “When I was 16, my dad took his own life, right in the bathtub. I didn't bathe for...God knows how long after that. Then I saw his ghost standing at the foot of my bed. He told me not to say anything, and I didn't. Not to my mom or anyone. He got violent any time he saw knives, after he cut his wrists with them. He'd throw stuff around and yell. Finally, an ‘FBI agent’ stopped it all,” He looked up at Sam. “My point is, you just get dragged into this life, and you learn to live with it. You do what you can - what you have to - to make people’s lives better because there’s no one else around to do it.”

Sam swallowed hard and nodded silently in understanding.

“So, is this the part where you arrest me?” Leandro asked with a bittersweet smirk.

Sam shared a glance with Gabriel. This was it - if he got Leandro in cuffs he’d have solved his case, easy peasy, and life would go on. But after hearing what he said...He couldn’t just lock him up. He took Gabriel’s hand and squeezed it tight. Maybe he could convince his boss to let him off easy, maybe he’d just give him a little penalty. Sam let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

“Sam?” Gabriel nudged Sam lightly.

“I won’t turn you in,” Sam murmured to Leandro, “But you better get the hell out of town and lay low for a while.”

Leandro’s eyes seemed to spark with surprise. “Thank you,” He reached a hand out and Sam took it, giving it a firm shake.

“But Sam, what about your job? You might get fired!” Gabriel looked up at Sam with concern.

“Gabe, my job is to throw guilty assholes in jail, this guy...He’s practically doing my job for me,” Sam let his hand drop to his side. “I’ll be okay. I promise.”

 

After that, Leandro took off in his Invicta, but not before giving them both his number and saying to give him a call if they came across anything supernatural. Then Gabriel promptly drove Sam to the hospital, where they stitched his wound back together. The whole time the two of them were quiet, uncertain of what to say. What could they say? They just found out monsters were real and there were hunters out there killing them, and now Sam might lose his job because of it. Gabriel finally spoke up on the drive back to the funeral home for Sam to pick up his car, and get his shirt out of the crime scene.

“So, what now?” He asked, glancing at Sam.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck. “Well...I’ll probably have to go back to the office tomorrow morning, hand in a report to explain everything...except for our dates and what just happened. So basically just say I hit a dead end and got nothing. And we shouldn’t say anything about the crime scene. You’ll probably be questioned by the police, unless Davies can cover it up for Leandro or whatever. It’s best to just say we don’t know anything and pretend it never happened.”

Gabriel nodded. “Right. Yeah.”

Silence hung between them again, until they parked in front of the funeral home. Sam had been thinking this for the past few minutes, but had been too bashful to ask. It must have been clear something was on his mind as Gabriel asked. “What’s up?”

“I...I hate that I have to leave you tomorrow...Do you want to...maybe -”

“Have sex in your hotel room with you? Sure, mind if we make it a threesome with Leandro though?” Gabriel interrupted. Sam laughed. There it was, the Gabriel that would rather make a sex joke than take a situation seriously.

“But really Gabe...could you stay with me the night?”

“Of course babe. I’ll bring a night light too,” Gabe smirked teasingly as Sam elbowed him.

 

Finally back at the hotel room, and Sam’s bloodied shirt soaking in the bathtub, Sam walked out of the bathroom to see Gabriel getting undressed from his work clothes. Sam froze, realizing Gabriel hadn’t noticed him, and stayed silent as he watched his boyfriend strip down to his underwear, his soft tummy hanging over the hems of his boxers a little as he moved over to the dresser, searching through the drawers before finding a t-shirt that was way to big on him and a pair of elastic-banded shorts. He reached over to Sam’s cluttered desk and took a rubber band, bunching up his t-shirt on one side and tying it firmly around so now it fit him snugger. Only now did he turn around and see Sam, the Winchester’s face flushed.

“Pervert,” Gabriel commented with a wink.

Sam blushed even harder and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well come on, you watched me get undressed, your turn now.”

“Subtly really isn’t your thing now is it?”

“Subtly? Never heard of them.”

Sam snorted and moved over to his dresser, yanking out his worn grey v-neck that was surprisingly soft and some comfy black sweats. He slipped off his pants and threw them on the ground carelessly, then began to slip on his clothes, as he had never actually put on another shirt after taking off his bloody one. He didn’t exactly have access to one anyways. Gabriel didn’t seem to mind though. When Sam turned around Gabriel was sheepishly looking down at the ground. Sam smirked and put his hand gently under Gabriel’s chin, lifting his head up and kissing him, drawing it out for as long as he could, his sugar tooth tantalized by the sweetness of Gabriel’s lips, before Gabriel pulled away.

“Let’s get some rest,” Sam murmured, climbing into the queen-sized bed and pulling the covers over himself.

“Dude, after finding out monsters are real, I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again,” Gabriel said as he climbed in on the other side, stretching and rolling onto his side, back facing Sam.

“Why don’t you face me?”

“Because I’m waiting to be scooped up by a big, muscular spoon.”

Sam smiled and inched closer to Gabriel, his curved back cupped by Sam’s torso. He slipped one arm over Gabriel’s side and let out a sigh. He stretched away for only a moment to flick off the lights and he closed his eyes, trying to convince himself the events of the day were just a nightmare and this was his waking dream.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam returns from Wyoming, and now has to figure out what to tell his boss and family that won't have them think he's insane. Things don't go exactly as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so, so sorry this took so long to get out! I've had very little free time and have been swamped with schoolwork, plus this chapter is a long one, so I didn't have time to work on it as much as I would have liked to. I hope you can all forgive me! So, here it is!

Sam woke early the next morning with Gabriel’s limbs splayed across him. Rubbing his eyes, Sam sat up and looked at Gabriel, who was sprawled across the bed like an unmajestic starfish. Sam snorted and moved his boyfriend’s limbs off him gently and stood, stretching. He sighed as he realized today he’d have to leave and hear his inevitable punishment from his boss. Working quietly as to not wake Gabriel, he began to pack his things, organizing his files neatly as he slipped them into the bottom of his suitcase. Even if he wasn’t trying to be silent, Sam’s movements would be slow anyways - his knife wound was sore, and stretching out his stitches was less than pleasant. He ran his fingers along the wound tenderly before he slipped on a dark blue suit. Everything was packed and ready to go, yet Gabriel was still sound asleep. Sam smiled softly at him. He walked over to the side of the bed and shook Gabriel gently. “Hey, wake up,” he murmured.

“Sam, I love you, but I’m sleep’s bitch first and foremost,” Gabriel replied groggily.

“Fine, guess I’ll leave without giving you a goodbye kiss then,” Sam teased with an exaggerated sigh.

“I’m up!” Gabriel immediately shot up and out of the bed, “You know it’s considered emotional abuse to blackmail your significant other?”

“Huh, I guess that explains why the last fifteen left me,” Sam replied teasingly, grinning at Gabriel.

His short boyfriend slid out of bed and glanced at Sam’s packed bags. “Guess you’ll be wanting this back, right?” Gabriel asked as he unraveled the elastic on Sam’s shirt and went to lift it over his head, but Sam gently took one of Gabriel’s hands, stopping him.

“No, keep it. To remember me,” Sam murmured softly.

Gabriel looked up at Sam. “What are you, dying? Or breaking up with me?”

Sam laughed lightly, “Of course I’m not breaking up with you. I just don’t know when I’ll be able to come back and see you. In person, at least.”

Gabriel nodded in understanding. He touched the collar of the t-shirt and lifted it to his nose, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, I am gonna miss your moosey musk.”

“Moosey?”

“Yeah, you smell like a moose. And look like one.”

“I can’t tell if that’s an insult or...what.” 

“It’s a compliment! You smell like...like the forest. You’re tall, you’ve got big broad shoulders, you’re a moose!” Gabriel explained.

Sam rolled his eyes. “And a dumb looking snout. You know I was gonna call you an angel but I think I’ll take that back now.”

“An angel? What makes you think I’m an angel?” Gabriel asked curiously, giving a little head tilt.

“Well you…” Sam felt his face flush, “You came out of like, nowhere, and helped me feel better about...everything. And I -” Sam stopped, swallowing hard. Why was his throat getting tight all of a sudden? Gabriel’s smile slacked and he reached up, brushing a hair from Sam’s face.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry, no crying over paperwork,” Gabriel spoke softly, “because then you’ll get the paper all wet and crinkly.”

Sam chuckled, sounding hitched as he tried to get the lump out his throat. He rubbed his eyes, blinking rapidly to stop himself from crying. “Sorry, sorry, I just...It’s all hitting me, I guess. I don’t want to leave you.”

“I don’t want you to leave either. But we’ll facetime and stuff, right?” Gabriel reassured.

“Yeah, of course we will,” Sam nodded and smiled. He leaned down and wrapped his arms around Gabriel. “Thank you. For everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me Sam. I care about you because I love you,” Gabriel’s voice was muffled as his face was squished against Sam’s chest, but it sounded as adorable as ever to Sam

Sam slammed the trunk to his car and turned around to Gabriel, who stood there watching him with a bitter sweet smile. “You got a nice ass,” Gabriel said, glancing down then back up at Sam.

“Usually your jokes are a lot better than that. My poor baby, don’t be sad,” Sam took a step towards Gabriel, but before he could move further Gabriel stretched up and kissed Sam. Sam didn’t even skip a beat in returning the gesture, wanting to taste of those sweet lips to linger in his mouth forever. However, Gabriel pulled away when a woman shouted at them to get a room.

“We have one, but we just banged in it!” He shouted back. Sam’s hands flew to his mouth instinctively and they both burst out laughing as the woman stormed away. Once they wound down, Gabriel turned back to Sam. “Promise to call me when you get there?”

“I promise,” Sam nodded assuredly. He gave Gabriel one last kiss on the head before getting into his car and pulling out, looking back over his shoulder before he left the hotel parking lot.

 

Twelve hours later, Sam stood in front of his rented apartment. Yes, the FBI paid good and all, but for one, Sam was still just new and two, he wasn’t sure if he was going to last long anyways. Besides, he never felt the need for a big house anyways. Walking in, he dropped his stuff at the door and looked around, taking a moment to adjust after living in a hotel for a week. It wasn’t anything extravagant, he unfortunately didn’t have the decorating skills of the Fab Five, but again he didn’t need anything like that. He had a living room perfect for having friends and family over for a movie night, while also having a bookshelf and a couple soft blankets for when he wasn’t feeling well and actually had time to sit down and read. He wrinkled his nose as he opened the fridge - usually it was stocked with healthy food, though half of it had expired because of his trip. He’d have to throw that away. Eh, he’d do that tomorrow. Grabbing a frozen turkey burger and throwing it on the counter to thaw out, he began to plan out in his head what he’d say. _“Hey boss, I came up with obvious leads yet found nothing and no one!”_ or maybe _“So get this, I found the killer, but I let him go because turns out he’s a hunter and all the victims were vampires!”_

Yup. He was doomed. He was going to get fired.

More possible conversation starters popped into his head as he ate his burger. _“Looking great! Did you lose weight, how’s your wife? Your...dead...your dead wife…”_ “Ah God dammit,” Sam muttered to himself out loud. He kept mulling over this, trying to find the right words as he crawled into his bed at the early time of 8 p.m., staring up at the ceiling, heart pounding with anxiety as he envisioned all the ways the next day could go wrong.

Sam had one hell of a commute to work, so that was probably one thing he would not miss. The building was tall and pretty plain looking, not any of those high-tech offices one would usually imagine. It’s best to keep lowkey in this line of work. At least on the outside. The inside, however, was pretty nice looking, with tiled floors and sleek modern furniture. Sam gave a wave to the red-headed receptionist, Charlie, as he walked past and into the elevator. His heart thumped louder with every floor they went up. He got off into the maze-like office area - well it would be maze like if the cubicle walls were higher. They were pretty high but with his height, he could see right over them. Which is exactly what let him make eye contact with his brother doing paperwork.

“Sam?” Dean stood and made his way towards his brother. How badly Sam wanted to smile and give him a greeting hug was immeasurable, but he couldn’t forget their last call. He knew what the first thing out of Dean’s mouth would be; “Why didn’t you tell me you were back?” Like Sam had to tell him everything. Then he’d try to get him to go see dad, to help him confront their boss. He didn’t need Dean and dad to help him with everything, to hold his hand and protect him. He broke eye contact quickly and changed his course, leaving Dean stunned in the middle of one cubicle aisle as Sam went out of his way going down another.

“Sam, hey!” Dean called. Sam could hear him coming behind him. Quickening his pace slightly, Sam opened the door to his boss’s office and shut it behind him, a bit harder than he meant to as his boss jumped up from looking at paperwork.

“Damn it Sam, you nearly scared the crap outta me!” He said, putting down is pen.

“Sorry, Mr. Singer,” Sam apologized.

“C’mon, you know you can call me Bobby,” Mr. Sing - erm, Bobby, said. Bobby had been in this line of work for a long time, in fact his father met him when he said he needed a change of scenery, something better than being an unemployed single father. Something that could catch whoever burnt their house down all those years ago. Sam didn’t have any problem working under a close family friend, but he did hear the rumors he only got his job because of how close Bobby was to John. That’s why he tried to only refer to him as his boss when it came to work.

“What are you doing back from Wyoming without any notice?” Bobby asked, looking up at Sam with a raised eyebrow.

Sam took a deep breath and shifted his feet awkwardly before taking a seat. “I’m back because the case is...done.”

“You caught the bastard? Well done Sam!” Bobby smiled, but it slacked as Sam shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Um, no, to be honest I uh...Didn’t find him. Or anything, really,” Sam muttered, maintaining eye contact the best he could. He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out the report he had written up, letting it flop onto the table. Bobby took it in his hand. Sam watched in silence as his eyes darted back and forth as he read quickly and flipped the pages, his lips set in a straight line so that Sam could not read his expression. Come on Bobby, why don’t you say something? Even a little ‘tsk’ would be better than this. Finally Bobby set the paper down and shrugged, shaking his head.

“I don’t know what to say, son. You got the car, had more than a handful of eye witness accounts...What went wrong? I thought this would be an easy one for you.” Bobby looked up at Sam, who could do nothing but shrug and let his hands fall against his pants.

“I just...I choked.”

“Choked?”

“I had all the info but I guess I couldn’t...piece it together.”

Bobby opened his mouth to respond when Charlie knocked and poked her head in the door. She glanced at Sam then at Bobby.

“Mr. Singer? You have a call from the Chief of Police from Gillette,” As Charlie said the name of the town, Sam snorted a little. That’s a weird coincidence. That’s where he just came from.

“Not now Charlie -”

“It sounds urgent.”

Bobby sighed and stood, pointing at Sam. “You stay here, I’ll be right back.”

Bobby left the room and Sam had to let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He pulled out his phone. No text from Gabriel. For once he should probably be the one to text first.

_“How’s Wyoming going?”_ He sent. It took a minute for Gabriel to respond, but then the little ‘...’ appeared. Sam glanced over his shoulder but Bobby still wasn’t back. He didn’t trust Gabriel to not say something risque.

_“itd be better if you sent me some nudes.”_

Yup. Sam knew it.

_“Haha, shut up Gabe.”_

_“you shut up. how are you doing?”_

_“I’m meeting with my boss right now.”_

_“what? what are you doing texting me?”_

_“He stepped out, he got a call from the Gillette police department actually.”_

_“huh. thats weird.”_

Sam glanced up as he heard Bobby’s returning footsteps. He shot back a quick ‘goodbye’ and slipped his phone back in his pocket just as Bobby opened the door. His boss sat down at the desk, except now he had a flashdrive in hand, which he plugged into the computer before he looked at Sam.

“Sammy, where were you two nights ago?” Bobby asked. Sam blinked and his stomach churned. That’s the night they were in the funeral home. He kept steady eye contact with Bobby as he answered.

“Just in my hotel room trying to solve the case. Why? What’s that have to do with anything?”

“Don’t lie to me Sam.” Bobby’s words almost took Sam’s voice. Did he know what happened? How could he know?

“I don’t know what you’re talk-”

Bobby slammed his hand on the desk. “I said don’t lie to me boy! We just received footage of a funeral home two nights ago,” as he said this he turned the monitor around. Sam swallowed hard as he saw him, Gabriel, and Leandro clearly in frame, talking, covered in blood. It had been so dark, the night had been so hectic, Sam hadn’t even thought of looking for security cameras. How could he be so stupid? He watched as the video played out, Leandro stepping over to the vampire and slicing her head off cleanly. Bobby paused the video, looking at Sam.

“That’s the murderer. You just let him go even after he murdered someone right in front of you. What the hell is wrong with your Goddamn mind son!?”

“Bobby, just let me explain!” Sam shouted back, giving himself the position to talk before it was too late to defend himself. But how could he explain? He’d be sent to a mental hospital if he told Bobby the truth. His eyes glanced at Gabriel on the security footage. “I was...scared. Not for me but for my...friend. If he got hurt by that guy, I could never forgive myself. If I made any advancements, if I tried to catch the killer, he might have...he might have hurt Gabriel.” Sam looked up at Bobby with pleading eyes. “If you need to fire me, arrest me, whatever, go ahead, but please don’t punish Gabriel. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Bobby dragged his hand down his face and heaved a heavy sigh. “Nothing’s going to happen to ‘Gabriel’, but Sam if you can’t handle situations like this, this isn’t the job for you.”

Sam looked down at the ground and nodded. “I know,” he murmured.

A tense silence fell between them. “You were so good, Sam,” Bobby finally spoke, “What happened?”

Sam shook his head. “I don’t know.”

With that Sam stood and walked out of the office.

 

“Sammy-”

“It’s Sam,” Sam said as he slammed the trunk of his car, the box of what little office belongings he had packed up.

Dean rolled his eyes and lets his hands slap against his sides. “Come on man, what do you want to hear?”

“What do you think?”

Dean clenched his jaw and crossed his arms, sighing in resignation. “Alright, fine. I’m sorry for trying to push more problems on your shoulders. I know you were stressed enough as it was and I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.”

Sam looked to the side as he considered Dean’s apology. He felt too drained to keep being mad, so he too sighed and nodded. “Fine. Apology accepted. Jerk.”

Dean smirked. “Bitch.” His smirk quickly went back to a face of concern. “So what the hell happened? Bobby sounded pissed. It’s not like you to come home out of the blue either.”

Sam shifted his weight. Yeah, maybe everyone else would think he was crazy for saying monsters were real, but Dean had the benefit of being his brother. He could at least tell him, right? “Can we go somewhere else and talk? Somewhere...private?”

Dean narrowed his eyes skeptically, then nodded. “You can come over my place.”

“Sounds good,” Sam turned to go in his car, only to be stopped by Dean grabbing his shoulder.

“Uh-uh, you can come back for your car later. You _gotta_ ride in Baby. She always makes you feel better.”

Sam rolled his eyes, “Dean-”

“Nope, no fighting this, come on. The passenger’s seat misses you.”

Well, if there was one thing Sam knew about Dean, is that there was no fighting him on any matter involving Baby. Dean led him over the to 1967 Chevrolet Impala, though she was easy to spot as she was the oldest, yet shiniest, car in the lot. That, and the fact that Sam’s eyes immediately went to her. Dean wasn’t wrong, just sinking his back against the cool leather seat made him feel oddly fuzzy inside. She had been their home for so long. After mom died, dad had been out of the job for...a while. They barely had money for food, no more home, so dad moved them in the car. Sam had gotten the whole backseat while Dean slept in the passenger’s, and while some nights dad was in the driver’s seat, most he was passed out in the bar they were parked behind. They were rough days, but Baby had been their saving grace, until dad finally got a job and got them a home. Sam let the rumble of the Impala’s motor fill his head as Dean drove them to his house. His house - well, technically, Dean and Cas’ house - was skinny, however what it lacked in width made up for in height, with two floors with a fairly high ceiling.

The first floor had the living room, with wooden floors and a fluffy carpet, couches and armchairs huddled around an old fashioned fire stove and clashing flat-screen TV. It seamlessly transitioned into the kitchen, which had an odd mix of fast-food litter, beer, and actually healthy burger ingredients. Upstairs was Dean and Cas’ bedrooms - well, bedroom. Considering it was still pretty early, Cas was probably still asleep upstairs. Dean fired up the Keurig and slid Sam a cup of coffee, made to his liking. How did he always remember? He took a sip, and though it burned his mouth, it certainly woke him up.

“So, spill the beans. What happened?” Dean asked, sitting down at the dining table, Sam taking his place across from Dean. Sam took a deep breath before explaining.

“Gabriel called me, freaking out, saying someone had broken into the funeral home. I drove over there as fast as I could and saw this woman trying to cut the jaws off of the victims from my case.”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “What the fuck? That’s weird.”

Sam couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “That’s not even half of it man. I tell her to freeze, drop the knife, you know, all that jazz, but then she charges at me and I shoot her twice. But she’s not even fazed by it.”

“Bulletproof jacket?” Dean guessed, like he’s heard something like this a hundred times before.

Sam shook his head. “She was bleeding, barely, but I sure as hell hit skin.”

Dean’s eyes widened, and he gestured for Sam to continue. So Sam explained, lifting his shirt up slightly so Dean could see the bandage wrapped around his torso to show where he was stabbed, and emphasized how Gabriel practically flew across the room when the woman threw him. And then finally how he apprehended her.

“So, she was the culprit right?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sam tapped the side of his mug anxiously. “So this next bit is where it gets...complicated,” Sam murmured. “And it’s a bit hard to believe. Which is an understatement, really. But promise you’ll listen to me? At least try to believe me?”

“The way you’re setting this up I’m not sure.”

“Dean, please.”

“Okay, I’ll ‘try to believe you’, whatever that means,” Dean said with air quotes.

It wasn’t very assuring, though it was good enough. So Sam continued. He talked about Leandro, not calling him by name, just in case, and recited what the hunter had told them. He tried to read Dean’s expression as he spoke, and regretted it as he saw his eyebrows scrunch together with concern, wariness making his eyes shift upwards to the second floor where his boyfriend slept, as though on instinct. When Sam fell silent, it took Dean a second to find his words. He nodded slightly in feigned thought.

“You know Sammy, it’s okay if you need to talk to someone to...relieve your stress.”

Sam frowned. What did that have to do with anything? “What?”

“You were stressed out and tired Sam. You weren’t thinking straight, and maybe you were...you know…” Dean pointed to his head and twirled his finger.

Sam narrowed his eyes. “No, I don’t know, what?” His voice was laced with sarcasm. He knew exactly what Dean was insinuating.

“...Hallucinating, Sam. Hallucinating.”

“I’m not crazy Dean, why would I lie about that?!” Sam lost control over the tone of his voice.

“I’m not saying you’re crazy, mental health is a serious issue man and I’m worried about you! I never said you lied, I’m just saying maybe you saw and heard something that never really happened!”

“Gabriel heard it too! He saw it! He saw those fangs!” Sam stood up so fast he almost knocked over his chair.

“Sam, come on, I just want to help you,” Dean stood, putting his hands out calmly.

“I don’t need any help Dean! I’m not ill or anything, I’m fine!” Of all the people he thought his brother would understand. He needed to leave. Now. He turned and walked towards the door, flinging it open as he stormed outside.

“Sam! SAM!” Dean shouted as he followed him, “You can’t keep running from your problems!”

“Yeah!? Who says so!? I could run until my legs fell off if I wanted to!” Sam shouted back. He looked around for his car before remembering he had ridden in the Impala. Fuck it. He’d walk back to his car, he didn’t care. He just had to get out of here. And he knew where he would go. He picked up his pace as he walked down the road, pushing himself as he heard Dean’s footsteps behind him, and then finally the hand on his shoulder. Sam gritted his teeth and whipped around, slamming his knuckles into Dean’s jaw. Dean stumbled back in shock and brought his hand to his cheek, a little bit of blood trickling from his mouth. He stared at Sam and clenched his hurt jaw in disappointed silence. Sam wanted to apologize. He just couldn’t bring himself to. He turned back around and kept walking.

 

It took him ages to reach work, and his legs sighed in relief as he sat down in the driver's seat of his car. With a straight face he pulled out of the parking lot and drove to his apartment. He took his unpacked duffel bags and threw even more clothes in, cleaning out his closet and drawers as he grabbed anything he saw that he might need. After that, he threw his bags in the trunk, and took off, one destination clear in his mind.

Sam glanced around as he knocked on the doors of the off-white house. It was the middle of the night, and he felt terrible for coming so late, but there was nothing else he could do. Nothing that felt right, anyways.

Gabriel opened the door with bleary eyes and messy hair, wearing Sam’s shirt. When met with Sam’s torso, he narrowed his eyes further and looked up, then widened his eyes. “Sam? What are you doing back here?”

Sam wrapped Gabriel in a tight hug, only letting go when he heard Gabriel literally gasp for air. His boyfriend rubbed his chest. “Damn Samsquatch, watch it, my ribs are still hurting me,” He coughed.

“Sorry, I’m just...it’s been a rough day. Can I...stay with you? At least for a bit?”

Gabriel looked surprised at such a sudden request. “Yeah, of course, but why? What happened?”

Sam’s shoulders slumped in exhaustion. “It’s a long story. Could I tell you in the morning?”

Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Do you want to sleep on the couch or…?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow. Sam, as tired as he was, still couldn’t stop his grin.

“I don’t know, where do you want me to sleep?”

Gabriel grinned and grabbed Sam’s hand. “I call big spoon this time. Get in here, moose.”

God, Sam really had been sent an angel, hadn’t he?


	8. Chapter 8

Though Sam had no alarm set, his cruel, adjusted body jolted him awake at 5 a.m. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, turning his hand upward to interlock his fingers with Gabriel's, his hand lazily draped over Sam’s side.

He desperately wanted to fall back asleep. Yesterday's events played over and over in his head, on a loop, as hard as he tried to forget them. Dean calling him crazy...he opened his eyes again and looked down at his fingers, their tips grazing the back of Gabriel's hand gently. His knuckles were still bruised from Dean’s jaw. Guilt slapped him across the face and he winced, pulling his hand away from Gabriel as though he was afraid he would hurt him too. He sat up and dragged his hands down his face, then looked down at Gabriel, who was starting to stir as Sam’s movements disturbed him.

“Gabe?” He prodded tentatively.

“Yeah?” Gabriel looked up at Sam with tired eyes and messy strands of hair falling over his face.

“You...You heard what Leandro said too, right? About monsters?” Sam asked warily, admittedly a bit scared of his potential answer.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Yeah, of course. Every word.”

“And...you saw…” The vampire’s sharp fangs flashed through his mind.

Gabriel nodded, guessing what Sam was talking about. “Why are you asking this? How could I forget all of that crazy shit?”

Sam shrugged and shook his head. If Gabriel saw and heard what he did, then he wasn't hallucinating. He was okay. “I told my brother what happened. He gave me a pity look and thought I was hallucinating. Then I punched him and walked off,” Sam explained wearily. 

“Whoa…” Gabriel shook his head as he sat up, “What. An. Asshole. You sure one punch was good enough? I could give him a baker’s dozen,” Gabriel sat up with fiery eyes, looking about ready to kill a man. Yesterday Sam would have eagerly accepted the offer, but now he was just too exhausted to be angry.

“No, it’s fine. I think he learned his lesson,” Sam assured.

“Alright. You just saved your brother’s life from my wrath.”

Sam smirked. “So what happened here? With you? I know the police found footage of everything that happened, so did they question you?” He asked curiously.

Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, actually. Yesterday morning the police came knocking at my door and woke me up. They looked ready to throw me in Alcatraz when that Davies guy got a call saying I was lucky. And then they left with no further explanation.” 

Sam narrowed his eyes. “Did he say who called?”

Gabriel shook his head. “I could kind of hear his voice, and it wasn’t Leandro. Some country bumpkin it sounded like.”

The description was the last thing Sam needed to confirm his suspicion. “I think that was my boss, Bobby. We’re close so before he fired me I asked him to leave you out of all this.”

“Aw, thank you Sam,” Gabriel smiled, “I was dreading answering all their questions. You really did save my ass,” He threw his arms around Sam. Sam smiled and returned the hug, taking a deep inhale of Gabriel’s hair. Wow, whatever shampoo Gabriel used, it was good. Like vanilla and honey. Just another plus of dating this amazing man. Sam needed someone who had just as good hair maintenance as him. 

“You up for doing something today, or do you want to stay here and recharge?” Gabriel asked.

“Don’t you have work?” Sam returned.

“Naw, told the boss I had a severe case of foot fungus, and the guy is super queasy, which is pretty ironic for a funeral home owner. I think his dad pushed it on him,” Gabriel explained with a grin.

“Alright, then what do you have in mind?”

Gabriel thought for a second, then Sam could see the light bulb go off behind his eyes. “I’ve got it! Come on, get dressed,” Gabriel hopped out of bed, crossing to his dresser.

“What? Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. Now shut up and put on something hot. I’d like to see how you normally dress instead of a suit. It could either be a deal breaker or maker.”

Sam rolled his eyes. He searched through his duffel bag, a tangle of carelessly packed clothes, before he found the outfit he was most comfortable in - A classic red and black flannel shirt, the first three buttons undone to reveal a black t-shirt underneath, and worn dark blue jeans to match, with muddy timberlands. It was his default outfit, the one he went to when he didn’t feel like putting much thought into what he was wearing, yet it still looked good. He turned to see Gabriel also turning around. His fashion sense kind of surprised Sam - he had on a dark brown leather jacket over a dusty red shirt, with cuffed dark jeans that lead to black converse. It starkly contrasted his light hair and even lighter personality.

“So, did I make or break it?” Sam asked teasingly.

“Well, you look like Paul Bunyan, but the kids these days say flannel is gay culture, so you make it,” Gabriel spoke with the voice of an American Idol judge, “What about me?”

“You look like you’re trying to be one of the ‘kids these days’. And you’re actually succeeding,” Sam smiled as Gabriel blushed lightly.

“Well what can I say, my nephew does tell me I’m the cool uncle.”

Sam blinked. “Nephew? I never knew you had a sibling.”

Gabriel’s confidence faltered and he looked down, rubbing his wrist uncomfortably. Did Sam say something wrong? “Yeah, three actually,” Gabriel’s voice had lowered from it’s joyous tone, “Michael, Lucifer, and Raphael.”

“Aren’t those the names of -”

“The archangels in the bible, yeah,” Gabriel had obviously heard this a million times before, “My dad was super religious. Too religious. He legally changed Raphael and Lucifer’s names to fit his little theme,” He rolled his eyes, “But at least I’m not Lucifer. Poor bro went through a lot because of that name.” 

Gabriel fidgeted with his jacket cuff. “Do you want to talk about it?” Sam offered.

Gabriel shook his head, “Naw, Luci is a big bag of dicks anyways,” He spat, and as quickly as he had turned awkward, he slapped on a cheerful facade and grabbed Sam’s wrist, “Let’s get going, time’s a-wastin!”

Sam smiled, but his was forced as well. It was only now that he realized he always vented to Gabriel about his problems, but Gabriel had never talked about his own. It bothered him. What was going on inside of Gabriel’s head that he didn’t want to talk about?

The car ride was long, their truck bumping along the weary roads alight with the rising sun, and while Gabriel talked and laughed like normal, Sam couldn't help but be concerned. He wanted to ask him, though he was afraid he'd press too much and Gabriel would get mad. Enough people were pissed at Sam as it was, anymore and he'd have no one left to turn to.

Finally, they pulled into a parking lot, and Sam looked up at the huge sign that read “Sam’s Sea World,” with painted fish jumping through the letters and all too cheerful sharks lurking beneath them. 

“Let me guess, you thought of this because of my name?” Sam rolled his eyes as Gabriel grinned and nodded.

“There's going to be, like, barely anyone here this early in the morning. It usually takes parents forever to get their bratty kids out of bed,” Gabriel reasoned as he slipped his fingers in between Sam’s, swinging their arms a little as they walked to the entrance. Sam knew Gabriel was trying to distract him from all the shit that had gone down, maybe even distract himself, and he hated to admit it was working. How could he so easily forget Dean with Gabriel at his side? How was he not looking around at the few other groups of families and friends walking along the rows of cars and wondering if they have fangs underneath those lips, or if he shot them they'd just keep running? Well, he wasn't thinking of that before, but now he certainly was. He averted his eyes from the other people (hopefully people) and kept them straight forward.

The whole building was dark, the only light coming from the blue luminescent lights of the huge fish tanks that doubled as walls, creating eerie shadows that floated across their faces as schools of fish swam by and planted seaweed waved in the current. Gabriel was practically a tour guide, spitting out facts about each fish left and right. Sam let out a loud laugh when Gabriel told him that his dick was like an oarfish, “the longest bony fish in the sea.” 

“You sure know a lot about fish, huh?” Sam commented.

“I loved all kinds of animals as a kid. Dinosaurs, monkeys, fish, insects, the whole lot of them. Even fungi,” Gabriel explained.

The phrase ‘as a kid’ made Sam's mind come back to their conversation this morning. He nodded and bit his lip. He should at least try to ask, shouldn't he?

“Hey, uh, speaking of you as a kid...about what you said this morning, with your dad and brothers. You want to talk about it? It seems like it bothers you,” Sam asked, looking down at Gabriel who was now keeping his eyes on the fish, following the path of one and then another to keep his gaze away from Sam. For a moment, Sam was worried he had overstepped, so he added, “I just feel bad I always complain to you but you've never complained to me. You don't have to, I just want to help you.”

Gabriel nodded, “Yeah, I get that. You sound like my therapist,” He snorted, then took a breath and began to talk, “I'm the youngest of the four, we were all one year apart and all adopted from the same orphanage when I was about two. We didn't have a mom, our dad just really wanted to be a father, and he kind of gave up on getting a girl. His game was pretty weak, and not a lot of women are into an uptight Christian guy who would spend more time with the Bible than her,” Gabriel took another breath, fidgeting again with the cuff of his jacket, “We grew up just fine. I was a mischief maker but that was about it. Luci was different. He talked back to dad with no fear in his eyes, yelling at him as though they were on the same level. I don't think the bullying at school helped. One night, dad just got fed up and threw him out of the house. He basically brainwashed us to think Luci was horrible, Michael especially, but I wasn't so sure dad was in the right either, and I was sure he wouldn't approve of the blowjob I gave Chris Wallace. I just got tired of it, so as soon as I was able to I just...ran.”

Gabriel stopped fidgeting and he heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m not in contact with any of them anymore. At all. Well, except Jack from time to time. Lucifer’s accidental son. He’s a good kid, surprisingly.”

Sam laid his arm across Gabriel’s shoulders and pulled him close. “God, Gabriel, I’m so sorry...That must have been so hard, leaving them like that.”

Gabriel shook his head. “That’s the worst part. I miss the old them, not what they all turned into. Does that make me a bad person?”

“Of course not Gabe. They were jerks, you had more than enough reasons to leave,” Sam reassured him softly. Gabriel smooshed his face against Sam’s chest, and gave a silent, unconfident nod. “You still don’t believe me?” Now Gabriel’s nod was affirmative. He pulled away and walked a few paces away, fingers curled into fists. 

“I just...Why did dad have to do all that shit? He acted like we were supposed to be the archangels we were named after. Michael and Raphael even believed it!” Gabriel’s voice rose, becoming more upset with each second, “I never said nothing because I didn’t want to end up like Luci, I wanted to leave on my own terms. And damn if I didn’t pray for forgiveness for doing that, but I always asked Him… I asked Him...why!?” Before Sam could stop him, Gabriel’s fist flew into the glass tank. Luckily, those things are stronger than movies make them out to be, as Gabriel cursed under his breath and jerked his hand back, rubbing it with his other one. Sam moved towards him slowly. Gabriel looked at him, face burning red with shame, but Sam said nothing as he took Gabriel’s hand and kissed it gently, rubbing it with his thumb.

“I’m sorry...I get angry easily…” Gabriel muttered.

“No, it’s fine Gabe. Believe me, I get it,” Sam showed his own bruised knuckles, holding them next to Gabriel’s. Gabriel laughed, and they fist bumped each other, both wincing, then laughing at the fact they had both winced.

“Maybe I should stop talking before I knock this building down.”

“Gabe, I’d let you bring this whole city to the ground if it made you feel better.”

Gabriel smiled, genuinely, not that shit-eating grin Sam was used to. “Thanks, moose. That felt...good,” He leaned against Sam once again, Sam keeping him close as he wrapped his arm around his waist, watching the fish swim around.

“Why don’t you tell me more about these fish? Like what’s...that one?” Sam pointed to an odd looking fish. Gabriel followed his point and finally Sam could feel his muscles relax under his fingers as he told Sam all about the tiny Neon Tetras swimming around the aquarium, Sam getting lost in the sound of his voice.

 

When they returned to the truck, they were both soaked through after having sat in the splash zone to a dolphin show. Gabriel shook his head, some droplets from his floppy mane landing on Sam. Sam snorted and shook his head back. “Gross, one of them landed in my mouth! Now I have moose cooties!” Gabriel cried. Sam laughed and so did Gabriel as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Sam pulled his phone from his pocket, which was luckily deep enough to evade the water that could have surely ruined it. Realizing he hadn’t checked it since yesterday, he clicked the home button, and frowned at the notifications. 53 missed calls, unread piles of texts, all from Dean, John, and even Cas. All of Dean’s were along the lines of sarcastic apology or regret or anger, then asking where he had gone, if he was okay. Dad was worried, then angry, then his final text told him to stay away. Pain shot through Sam’s heart, and he cleared his throat of a lump.  
Gabriel glanced at Sam, noting his troubled face. “You alright?” He asked.

Sam shook his head. “Not really. Dad, Dean, and his husband are on my case,” He muttered.

Gabriel let out a disgusted ‘ugh’. “Ignore them, they sound like a bunch of assholes to me.”

Sam wanted to agree, but guilt churned in his stomach. He opened up Cas’ text messages, not even bothering to read through them as he texted back. “Tell Dean not to worry. I’m safe. But don’t bother trying to contact me again.” 

Sam popped open the barren glovebox of the truck, and conveniently found a paperclip. Gabriel watched him from his peripheral, but didn’t say anything as Sam bent the paper clip, stuck it into the hole on the side of his IPhone that made the SIM tray pop out. He removed the SD card, pocketed it, then promptly tossed his cellphone out of the window to get lost in the wilderness of the forest. 

“Sam, what the fuck! You just threw away hundreds of dollars!” Gabriel shouted, nearly slamming on the brake, ready to u-turn to retrieve to phone. 

“I’ll buy a new one, I have cash saved up. I need a new number too.”

“YOU COULD HAVE CHANGED YOUR NUMBER ON THAT PHONE!” 

“Well, I wouldn’t be able to stop Dad from tracking it. He put tracks on my phone after I ran away one time, and I still can’t figure it out,” Sam rolled his eyes.

“Jesus, how old does he think you are?”

“Not old enough.” Same remembered the time he had fled from the Impala. He had lived in a hotel for about a week before Dean found him and dragged him back. Dad yelled at him, more drunk than usual, then they went to sleep and pretended the whole thing had never happened.

It looks like him and Gabriel both had issues.


	9. Chapter 9

About a month had passed since Sam had moved in with Gabriel. He had gotten a new phone, but rarely used it as his only contact now was Gabriel. His sleeping schedule was beyond salvageable - with no job came no need for an alarm, so he slowly transitioned to sleeping in later and staying up later. Gabriel didn’t complain but in fact liked this, as he was a night owl by nature, so they stayed up into the long hours of the night together, laughing tiredly at stuff, watching sitcoms while falling asleep on the couch. But then Gabriel would leave for work most days, leaving Sam alone and bored a lot of the time. He felt horrible that Gabriel was holding up his unemployed ass, despite him saying he didn’t mind at all. Sam spent most of his free time trying to find a job, and while he told himself not to be picky, he couldn’t help it. The only jobs available in the area were grocery baggers or mall store cashiers. Wouldn’t that be humiliating, going from FBI agent to grocery bagger in one foul swoop? At least I would be making money though, he thought to himself.

Sam sighed and slammed the laptop shut, resting his head on the table like all of the “stealthy” kids did in high school when they needed to catch a few minutes of sleep. What was he going to do for a job?

“Honey, I’m home!”

Sam lifted his head and smiled as Gabriel slammed the door behind him. “God, I’ve always wanted to say that,” He said with a satisfied grin.

“You know, I was kind of waiting to see how long it would take you to. One month is longer than I expected,” Sam commented.

“I know right? I’m just stupid,” Gabriel shrugged. He undid his top buttons and jumped into the chair next to Sam at the kitchen counter, “So, what’s up? Did you have a massive party or an affair while I was at work?”

“Both, with two dudes. Or maybe it was three. It gets confusing,” Sam shot back wittily. Gabriel laughed and slugged Sam in the shoulder.

“Alright, seriously, whatcha up to?”

“Oh, you know, just looking for a job again,” Sam muttered, rolling his eyes tiredly, “It’s just - nothing feels right. I prepared all my life for a job in the field using highly-trained skills, and now I might have to go be a grocery bagger?” He shook his head, “Call me prideful but I can’t even imagine doing that.”

“Well, grocery bagging requires skill. You ever get those guys that think it’s okay to put your bread under a carton of milk? It takes real attention to not be that guy,” Gabriel pointed out. Normally Sam loved his teasing and banter, though right now he was just frustrated.

“Gabriel, I’m being serious,” Sam used his full name for the full affect, voice tense, “What am I supposed to do for a job?”

Gabriel set his lips in a thin line and drummed his fingers on the marbled counter as he thought. “If the job doesn’t feel right, then don’t take it. I’m sure if you take your time and look a little longer you’ll find something or something will find you. You’re not in any rush.”

“I can’t keep relying on you to put food on the table though,” Guilt washed over Sam once again, “I feel like such a freeloading asshole, and you’re my boyfriend! I can’t do this to you.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes, “Samsquatch, come on! I’ve told you that I really don’t mind. If I cared, I’d let you know, and we wouldn’t be dating still. So quit feeling guilty or I will kick you out. Kapeesh?” He raised an eyebrow, like a parent would when asking their child to repeat back the instructions that they had just given. Sam kept his face neutral to hide the fact that he was unconvinced and nodded. Gabriel leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Now, get your ‘freeloading’ ass on the couch and let’s watch more That 70’s Show. That shit is golden.”

 

Another day, and Sam woke up at around 11 am to a bed all to himself. That was strange, didn’t Gabriel have today off? He wandered out into the kitchen, glancing around for Gabriel, yet all was quiet. Then, on the fridge, he spotted a sticky note. “Meet me at Siren Cafe ;)” It read, followed by an address. Sam smiled. The cafe was one of his favorites, as not only did it have the delectable desserts that Gabriel scoffed down in an unholy amount of time, but also included healthier options so he could stick to his diet. He threw on some easy clothes, a blue plaid shirt with one of his almost identical pairs of jeans, and of course his favorite boots, before heading out. It was strange of Gabriel to ask to meet somewhere instead of just going together, but Sam didn’t care much.

The cafe was small and quaint, squished between the other shops that lined the streets for casual window-shoppers to stop in for a bite of sweet lunch, attracted to it by it’s navy blue painted bricks and off-white sign, the calligraphy sign written in the color of seaglass. He walked in, the tiny bell hung above the door announcing his arrival, and immediately he saw Gabriel’s head shoot up from a table. As if Sam hadn’t already seen him, Gabe waved him over to the small square table, and Sam obliged, feeling bad for probably tracking dirt on the clean white tiles. He sat down across from Gabriel, feeling too big for the petit setting of the cafe. Gabriel fit in just fine though.

“Took you long enough, I’ve been waiting for like half an hour,” Gabriel rolled his eyes as he took a bite of a chocolate chip cookie in his hand, which he also used to point at the plate in front of Sam. “I already ordered something for you, and some tea.”

“Well then maybe next time we should come together. You make it sound like this is a business meeting,” Sam retorted. He looked down at his plate and cup. “Tea? Not coffee?”

“You say tea relaxes you and caffeine makes you feel all shaky,” Gabriel said.

“Yeah, but you always order me coffee anyways,” Sam pointed out. He took the cookie on his plate and took a bite. What he thought had been chocolate chips were raisins. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously on Gabriel. “And you got me oatmeal and raisin cookies?”

“Because that’s what you like! What’s wrong with a boyfriend getting a boyfriend what they like?” Gabriel defended himself.

“Nothing, but you never do that. You try to force me to eat dessert by calling me boring for not breaking my diet. You’re trying to put me in a good mood, so what’s going on?” Sam stared Gabriel down, who stared back, both too prideful to be the first to back down from this unannounced staring contest. Finally, Gabriel leaned forward and blew in Sam’s face, forcing him to blink.

Gabriel threw up his hands. “Fine! You caught me. I just don’t know how you’ll react to my news,” he let the sentence tease Sam, egging him on to question him. Sam rolled his eyes.

“What news?”

“I found the perfect job for you.”

Sam blinked. “What? You’ve been looking for me?” Sam flushed with guilt and he rubbed the back of his neck, “Damn Gabe, you didn’t need to waste your time doing that.”

“No! You really think I’d do research willingly? Fat chance!” Gabriel laughed, “I just thought of it last night, after what you said. And the best part is we could do it together.”

Sam blinked again. “What? What is it?”  
“We could be hunters.”

Gabriel grinned, expecting a happy reaction from Sam, but his face was slack. “You’re kidding right?” Sam asked, “Gabe, don’t get my hopes up like that.”

Gabriel put his hands up quickly and waved them the same way he shook his head, “No, Sam, I’m not joking! Think about it - hunting down bad guys, doing fieldwork and research, protecting the innocent - it’s just like your old job!” Gabriel’s voice was high with optimism. Sam just shook his head.

“No Gabe, there is no way, we’re becoming hunters. Especially the ‘we’ part. You don’t know what I know, and plus what we’re dealing with is…” The fangs flashed through his mind, the leaking bullet holes, Gabriel’s body flying across the room, “...it’s...supernatural. It’s not our place to interfere. Where would we even start?”

Gabriel bit his lip and Sam glanced down at his hands as he twirled his thumbs around one another. “Ooooh, welllll, I may have already called up Leandro and asked him to give us lessons, and he may or may not be meeting us at our house in about three hours.”

“What!?” Sam stood up from his table, bumping it so that his tea splashed onto the floor. Other diners turned their heads. Sam ignored them, “Gabriel I can’t believe you! Why would you do that? Tell him to turn around!”

“Come on Sam, let’s give it a shot! It could be exciting!” Gabriel plead, “I thought you’d be happy about this. This is just the thing your were looking for!”

Sam shook his head. He glanced around at the murmuring diners. Not liking the prying ears and eyes, he walked out of the cafe. Gabriel hurried after him. Sam grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto the side of the cafe, into a thin little alley as to not attract so much attention. Again his eyes darted back and forth before he began to speak. “I don’t want you getting hurt Gabe. We obviously don’t know what hunting entails, we don’t know anything! Just from one vampire, you got a set of broken bones and I got stabbed!” Sam hissed. Gabriel would still flinch if he took too deep of a breath or laughed too hard, and when Sam saw the giant bruise on his back he thought a more logical explanation for a bruise that size would be him falling down two flights of stairs. “I can’t even begin to imagine what would happen if we went up against werewolves or whatever the hell else is out there.”

Gabriel crossed his arms. “So you think I can’t take care of myself?” He asked sharply, “I’m not defenseless, you know. Maybe you’re trained and everything but I can still fight. You know how I spent the first year away from dad? Broke on the street. I lost count of how many times some wack job tried to jump me,” Gabriel’s eyes burned defensively.

“I’m not saying that Gabe, I’m saying even then we’re diving into this with no plan.”

“Why do you think I called up Leandro? He’s going to teach us and take us on a hunt!” Gabriel pointed out, “Since he’s already coming up here, we may as well give it a shot! Right?”

Sam rolled his eyes and paced down the alley a few steps before stopping, back towards Gabriel as he thought. This was a terrible idea. Really terrible. If Gabriel ever got hurt…

No. He’d make sure that wouldn’t happen. Hot shame creeped up on his neck. He was doing what Dean did to him - babying him even though Gabe was a grown man. He sighed in resignation. Leandro was already on his way, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t oddly miss the grind of work. Sam turned back around. “Fine. But if anything, and I mean anything, goes wrong, even us leaving a water bottle behind somewhere, then we don’t go any further with this and forget it ever happened.”

“Sounds like a deal, Howie Mandel,” Gabriel held out his hand and Sam took it, giving it one hard shake before Gabe yanked him into a hug. Sam almost stumbled over him but found his footing as he leaned down, wrapping his arms around Gabriel. It was a silent sorry conveyed through the simple gesture, and lasted only briefly as Gabriel pulled away. “Now we should probably go pay before they think we dined and dashed.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

 

Two o’clock on the dot, there was a knocking on the front door. Gabriel and Sam opened the door together to see Leandro, who grinned at them with shiny white teeth, despite the tiredness in his eyes after the long drive. He was dressed very similarly to how he had been the night they met - an army green flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up so they rested in the crooks of his elbows, the top few buttons undone to reveal that he had no shirt underneath, and distressed jeans that were not designed to be so ripped up. The tears weren’t placed with the good thought of a designer, but they were a random assortment of messy rips, which each surely had their own story. Sam could even see scars on Leandro’s legs through the holes, each presumably caused by the same thing.

“It’s good to be seeing you on better terms,” Leandro said with a charismatic smile, holding out a hand, pointed towards Sam who, took it firmly, and Leandro unexpectedly pulled him into a hug. Sam didn’t hug back, but Leandro proceeded to give him a good, long squeeze before he pulled away. “I never properly thanked you for covering for me. Well, trying to at least. Gabriel explained what happened,” Guilt weighed the corners of his lips down, “I’m sorry, I never meant for anyone to get dragged into this.”

Sam was surprised by the sudden apology. “Leandro, you don’t need to apologize. Shit happens, you couldn’t control it,” Sam reassured, “No hard feelings. I promise.”

“Yeah, we’re just going to talk gossip behind your back,” Gabriel said jokingly. Leandro laughed, that charming smile returning.

“Thank you, I’ve just been feeling terrible about it for a while now,” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at his car. Something deep within Sam wanted to smash that Invicta for leading him into such a wild goose chase. He’d never look at that car model the same again. “Could I put my car in your garage? The last thing I want is more trouble with the cops.”

Gabriel nodded, as Sam was still giving the car a death stare. “Yeah, I’ll just move my truck out. Give me a sec,” He grabbed the car keys from off the hook by the door, and soon enough Leandro’s Invicta was hidden away. Leandro didn’t leave the car immediately. He got out of the front seat and opened the back, put his fingers under the edge of the seat, and lifted it up to reveal a deep compartment full of all sorts of weapons - machetes, shotguns, pistols, knives - you name it, Leandro probably had it. Sam watched him with intrigue as he methodically reached through the mess, somehow not getting cut on all the open blades he had lying around, and grabbed three shotguns, along with a box of what Sam guessed were shotgun shells. Leandro moved the seat back into place and slammed the car door shut. He tossed Sam and Gabriel a shotgun with the same ease one would pass a volleyball with, and though it caught Sam off guard, he luckily managed to catch it, while Gabriel was not so quick and cursed as the gun clattered to the ground, though it was unharmed. In the same motion, Leandro opened the passengers door and opened the glovebox, pulling out a red can of spray paint. He shook it up so you could hear the ball clatter against the metal sides.

“Alright, so on this case I’m pretty sure what we’re hunting is a vengeful spirit - or just a ghost for short,” Leandro explained, “The easy way to take care of them is to salt and burn their remains, or if we’re a bit less lucky, whatever object they’re attached to. Things don’t always go as planned though and sometimes the thing will come after us. That’s where these come in -” Leandro paused and opened the box, pulling out a shotgun shell full of something white that Sam couldn’t identify right away. “They’re shotgun shells filled with salt. It will weaken the ghost for a moment, and it can at least buy us some time. Iron does the same thing too, so if you’re in a pinch, grab a fire poker,” Leandro slipped the round back into the box, “These are a pain in the ass to make, so first we’re going to practice with real rounds. Gabe, can we take your truck to some remote location? Like, the woods?”

“I don’t know, there aren’t a lot of remote locations around in Wyoming,” Gabriel said with a shrug. Leandro blinked in confusion. “I’m joking!” Gabriel rolled his eyes, “Of course we can do that.”

The three piled into Gabriel’s truck, Leandro sitting in the backseat. Almost forgetting Leandro was even there, Sam slipped his hand into Gabriel’s giving it a tight squeeze. Gabriel kept his eyes on the road but smiled.

Gabriel drove for a while, the houses abruptly stopping as they travelled along a stretch of road surrounded by nothing but forests. Finally, Gabriel pulled into a dirt patch off the side of the road. There was no sign or indicator this was any place specific, just another part of the vast woods, so they got out and trekked into the thick oak forest. The little sounds in the forest were barely noticeable - the twittering of lazy afternoon birds, the scuttling of chipmunks from bush to bush - it all seemed very peaceful. It was too bad they would put an end to it with a few shots from their guns.

Leandro stopped them in a clearing, the grass a bit more trim from the grazing of deer. He set his gun down in the grass and walked up to three trees, popping the cap from his spray paint. With a flick of the wrist, he painted one-ringed bullseyes on each tree, dripping, but good enough to judged how accurate one’s aim was. He turned back to the two. “Sam, have you used a shotgun before?” Leandro asked.

Sam shook his head. He had never been taught how to, as it wasn’t a weapon used much in the field. Leandro nodded in understanding. “Alright, just checking, given your background,” he picked his gun back up and held it so that Gabriel and Sam could see what he was doing. “Make sure the safety is on before you load it. And then -” Leandro let his hands finish as he flipped the latch on the handle, flipped the shotgun open, swiftly slipped in two rounds, then brought the front end of the gun up with a satisfying click. Not losing momentum, he turned around and shot at one of the trees. Gabriel jumped, not used to hearing gunshots. Sam gave him a teasing grin and Gabriel shot him a playful stink-eye. Sam chuckled and looked back at the tree, shocked to see Leandro had gotten a perfect bullseye. It was beyond impressive. Leandro smirked pridefully.

“Now you two try loading and I’ll teach you how to properly hold it.”

Sam loaded the gun with ease, as he was used to the heavy weight of such weapons, though it took Gabriel a couple tries to get the fluid motion down. Leandro moved on then, showing them how to hold a shotgun properly more than explaining it. Sam pressed the butt of the gun against his shoulder, but somehow the position still felt wrong. This was confirmed as Leandro came over and up behind Sam to help him. “You can’t be afraid to put it right up against your face. That way your eye goes right down the barrel.” Sam nodded slightly as Leandro put his head right behind Sam’s, reaching across Sam’s arm and pushing it inward so it pressed against Sam’s cheek. His body pressed against Sam’s back as he made sure the barrel was lined up properly. Though the feeling of the gun right against his face felt dangerous, he allowed it.

“See? That’s better,” Leandro smiled with satisfaction. He still didn’t leave Sam’s back. “There’s a big kickback, so I’ll stay like this to keep you steady. Now, shoot.”

Sam’s finger pulled back the trigger and the sound exploded in his ear, punching his shoulder in a quick instant. Another hole showed up in the red bullseye of the tree. Sam grinned, and Leandro finally pulled away, though now he clapped Sam’s shoulder. “Nice one!”

Sam smiled. “It was nothing, really,” He said, then looked at Gabriel. His smile slackened as he saw Gabriel’s eyes were full of contempt, directed straight at Leandro. His head snapped away when Leandro looked his way and walked over to help. He didn’t get nearly as close to Gabriel as he had to Sam. Sam felt heat rush to his cheeks at the sudden realization. Had Leandro been...was he? No, it was probably nothing. He looked back forward and realigned the shotgun, one eye squeezed tight as he focused on the tree. Not on anything else. Not at all.

 

They practiced until the sky turned a bright orange, Leandro even practicing himself once Sam and Gabriel got the general hang of it though (mostly Gabriel). He was an impressively fast learner. Though he wasn’t the most accurate, he was quick, and did land a few bullseyes. Once Leandro considered them good enough, he suggested they head back and he could fill them in on the case details.

The car ride home was dead silent for a long while. Gabriel kept his eyes on the road, occasionally glancing upwards to look at Leandro through the mirror. Sam looked out at the passing countryside. “You were great today, Gabe,” Sam finally said, “I’ve never seen anybody learn to shoot something that fast,”

Gabriel smirked, the tense atmosphere releasing as they once again forgot Leandro in the backseat. “What can I say, I’m a pretty good with a gun,” He grinned with playful confidence.

“Yeah, it was really cool when you shot the ground while you were trying to load.”

Gabriel’s face flushed and Sam laughed. Leandro also laughed. Sam was reminded of how close Leandro had gotten to him, and his chest tightened. Gabriel seemed to be remembering the same thing, as he set his lips in a straight line. Sam gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Gabriel returned it, not quite as strongly though.

 

Leandro clicked swiftly on his laptop, Gabriel and Sam watching him from each side in their seats at the kitchen counter. Leandro showed them the article, “The Third Killing at Centennial - Police Dumbfounded”.

“There’s been three murders in the past two weeks at the Centennial Museum in Wright, Wyoming. All three victims have been found with -”

“‘Tracks resembling that of wagon wheels in blood leading from where they were brutally smashed in half.’” Sam read, eyes trained to grab only the most important details from an article. Gabriel wrinkled his nose.

“How does that happen?” He muttered.

“Ghosts,” Leandro replied, “They have a pioneer wagon there. I’m thinking some pioneer got run over by a runaway wagon, specifically that one, and now they haunt the place.”

“How? If I’m right, I don’t think those things went too fast,” Gabriel pointed out.

“Not unless they were going downhill. That’s when a lot of people died that way. Especially children, since they were weaker,” Leandro explained. Wow, he knew his stuff, “The only problem is that a lot of deaths on the Oregon Trail or in frontier exploring in general went unrecorded. So we’re going to have to do some more digging to find who it is, find where they’re buried, salt, and burn them.”

Gabriel let out a low whistle. “Maybe I’m just lazy but that sounds near impossible.”

“Yeah, you’re lazy, but that still seems crazy,” Sam agreed, “On the Oregon Trail they just buried people anywhere, how are we supposed to find their body?”

Leandro shrugged. “Sometimes there are just cases you can’t solve. But we should at least give it a shot. I’d rather you guys start on a cold case anyways before we get to something really dangerous.”

Sam pursed his lips but nodded. Would they even continue after this? He still wasn’t too enthusiastic about that prospect.

Leandro shut the laptop screen. Gabriel stood up and stretched. “Welp, I’m tired. You cool with taking the couch Leandro? It folds out.”

“Oh no, I’m fine in the car, if that’s where Sam sleeps.”

Sam blinked in confusion and he and Gabriel exchanged a glance. “Um…” Sam started, “We’re a couple. We sleep together.”

Leandro flushed in embarrassment. “O-Oh. Sorry, I had no idea. I never would have guessed,” He rubbed the back of his neck. Sam and Gabriel exchanged another look. How many times had they held hands in front of him? It was either Leandro was clueless or he was just trying to act innocent.

For now, until they were sure which reason it was, Gabriel played the nice guy and shrugged. “No biggie. Here, let me get you set up.”

When Leandro said he was all set, Sam and Gabriel retired to their own bedroom. Gabe brought Sam’s laptop into bed, Netflix loading on the screen, the only thing illuminating their faces. Gabriel leaned against Sam, who put his arm around Gabriel’s shoulders.

“I’m still not sure about this whole hunting thing Gabe,” Sam murmured.

“You promised you would give it a chance,” Gabe said immediately, blocking Sam’s option of chickening out before he even had it.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But I’m just not sure it’s the thing for us. It still seems so…”

“Crazy?

“Exactly.”

“That’s what I like about it,” The Office now played lowly under Gabriel’s voice, “we could do something really good, and it’s fucking badass. Hunting monsters? That sounds like an action movie!”

“Life isn’t an action movie-”

“Who says it can’t be?” Gabriel countered, “Stop worrying so much about it. Let’s just see how this hunt goes and see what happens after that. Alright?”

Sam sighed. “Fine.”

“Love youuuu,” Gabriel cooed as he nestled harder against Sam’s chest. Sam laid a kiss on the top of his head, to which Gabriel responded “Be a man and kiss me on the lips.” He tilted his head up and gave Sam a long kiss, lips tasting of the cereal he had just had for dinner (which Sam told him how unhealthy it was, but Gabriel said he was here for a fun time, not a long one). Though Sam had meant for the kiss to be short, he grew greedy, yearning for more of the sweet taste he had associated with Gabriel. He turned his body towards Gabriel, wrapping his arm tightly around his lower back, and soon they were making out to The Office in the background. Gabriel would giggle a little every time Jim looked at the camera. It felt like he was judging them, and Sam played along by shooting the screen a glare, which earned more chuckles from Gabriel. Sam would call it the funniest makeout session he’s ever had. It was romantic, in its own hilarious, weird way. That was how everything was with Gabriel.

Sam loved it in every way.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starting their first case, Sam and Gabe travel to Wright, Wyoming in the company of Leandro to investigate the mysterious murder, trying not only to solve the case but find out where Leandro stands with Sam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is really horrible how long this has taken me to update, I am so, so sorry. As you can tell by my profile I've also been writing one-shots, and it's just been a hectic two months. I think I said that regarding October and November was just October 2.0. But anyways I hope you enjoy the chapter! I cut it kind of short, the next chapter is probably going to be what I would have included in this chapter, but I just felt like I HAD to get something out soon.

“You’re telling me we have to impersonate FBI Agents?”

Sam was staring at Leandro disapprovingly, much like how he imagine a mother would, as the hunter pulled out a banged up box with what looked like fake badges and credit cards collected over the course of decades. Sam had to resist the urge to arrest him right then and there. He could already feel the keyboard beneath his fingers, typing up a report detailing his capture. Gabriel must have sensed his lawful good instincts flaring up, so he grabbed Sam’s hand firmly.

“Well, you have the real deal, so really it’s just me and Gabriel, if that makes you feel better,” Leandro shrugged, “There’s not really any other way. You think some police chief is going to let this into a crime scene without identification?” he motioned to his tattered appearance to emphasize his point. Today he wore a ripped blue flannel over a black shirt, with yet another pair of ripped jeans and yet another pair of Timberlands. Sam was embarrassed at how similar their fashion senses were. Gabriel snorted as he noticed the same thing. Leandro picked out one of the badges and tossed it to Gabriel. Flipping it open, he grinned and showed it to Sam. “Look! It’s me!”

Sam took the badge with narrowed eyes. Holy shit, it looked pretty damn close to the real thing, other than maybe a slightly different font. People could be easily fooled by this. A lot of people...innocent people…

“No snitching,” Leandro immediately said. Sam gave him another look of judgement. Gabriel snatched it back.

“Wait, where’d you get this picture anyways?” Gabriel asked.

“Your Facebook, obviously. You’re lucky I didn’t pick something from your high school days.”

Gabriel flushed and Sam looked at him with a teasing grin. “High school days? What was going on back then?”

“He had long curly hair, like down past his shoulders,” Leandro answered, knowing Gabriel wouldn’t. Sam laughed and Gabriel glared at Leandro menacingly.

“Alright alright alright!” Gabriel waved his hand dismissively, “Let’s get this show on the road. I want to bust some ghost’s ass.”

“First, you two need to get into a suit. I’ll get changed in here,” Leandro grabbed his duffel bag from his trunk. 

 

“Saaaaam!” Sam looked up from buttoning his shirt as he heard Gabriel’s distressed cry from his bedroom, as he was getting changed in the living room, “I need your help!”

Sam walked into the bedroom, wondering what could possibly be wrong, then quickly finding the problem around Gabriel’s neck - his tie look like it had been played with by an infant monkey and had made something vaguely resembling a knot. Sam grinned and walked up to Gabriel, taking the tie in his hand. “Gabriel, how the hell did you even manage this?” He snorted.

“Well, I didn’t exactly have someone to teach me how…” Gabriel murmured quietly. Sam’s face fell as he saw the crestfallen look on Gabriel’s face. Sam fell silent, and began to work on undoing Gabe’s mess.

“Not even...for a school dance?”

“I never went to them.”

It was silent again until Sam slid the knot up to Gabriel’s neck. He lifted Gabriel’s chin up to look Sam in the eye, and gave him a gentle kiss, just a short one, as he pulled back. “We’ll have to fix that one day then. We’ll go crash a wedding and slow dance there.”

Gabriel chuckled and smiled. “There’s my Gabe,” Sam cooed, giving him another kiss, and instead of pulling away he leaned forward, giving Gabriel a strong hug, arms hooking under his elbows and cusping his shoulder blades. His hands fit perfectly over them, like they were made for each other. Gabriel’s own hands slid up his back, fitting in the crook of his spine. He smooshed his face into Sam’s arm, and it grew hot with his breath. Sam smiled softly at the feeling and breathed in Gabriel’s hair, smelling like honey and vanilla. He pulled away, smiling down at Gabe. “Now let’s go kill a ghost.”

Gabriel grinned and slipped his fingers in between Sam’s as they walked out, duffel bags slung over their shoulders.

 

It wasn’t long until they pulled up to the museum - after all, it was only about an hour away. You could scarcely call the building a museum, it looked like two barns put together, even painted that classic barn red color, like the blood of the pigs slaughtered on those farms. It was an admittedly morbid thought, derivative of the actual murder that had occurred inside. Sam checked himself in the side mirror of the car, brushing his hair back to make it look nice. His stomach was fluttering. He was about to lie to the police about being FBI. Dean had arrested a few asshole punks doing the same thing. Maybe being former FBI made it better, but did it really? The Winchester took a deep breath and stood up straight.

“You done checking yourself out? Come on Sam, let’s go!” Gabriel shouted. Sam looked up and followed them across parking lot, putting on a serious face. There was yellow police tape across the doorway, and they ducked under it, walking onto the scene where cops were still examining the evidence. While the rest were focused on work, one glanced up, then did a double take and stood, crossing over to meet with them. 

“Can I help you?” He asked, glancing between the three. While Leandro and Sam both reached for their badges, Gabriel beat them too it, flipping it open and taking the lead.

“Agent Cormack, FBI. We’re here to take a look at the scene, gather some information,” Gabriel recited, like he had practiced it a million times over in his head. He glanced discreetly at Sam for approval, who flashed a quick smile. The officer still looked skeptical, looking the trio over again once more.

“Three FBI agents? On this?” He motioned towards the scene, “Isn’t that a bit overkill? Murders aren’t uncommon...unfortunately.”

“Well, Cormack here is a rookie, and me and Jeff here -” Leandro wrapped an arm around Sam’s waist. Sam tried not to jump, keeping his composure for whatever lie Leandro was about to come up with, “- Insisted on coming along. We’re partners in crime, you see.”

Sam nodded. Did Leandro mean working partners, or did he mean…

The officer seemed to take it as the latter, as he became flustered and awkward. “Oh, I mean -” he cleared his throat “- yes, I see. Well, feel free to look around. Keep an eye on these guys, I’m taking a coffee break.” 

As the cop left, Gabriel shot a dirty look at Leandro, who if he noticed, didn’t show any indication he had. He let his hand drop from Sam’s back, though this didn’t happen even after the officer left. He lingered for a moment before his hand fully retracted. Unsure if he should say anything, Sam pretended that nothing had happened and walked forward. Obviously, the body had been removed and put into a morgue, which would be their next stop. As Leandro said, “A body will be there a while. A crime scene might get scrubbed clean the next day.”

Thin, bloody tracks traced across the rustic, hardwood floor, in an empty space between exhibits, interrupted in the middle by a huge splotch of blood staining the wood vermillion. Sam scrutinized the scene. Something didn’t make sense…

“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Leandro asked.

“Let’s find out. What are you thinking?” Sam responded.

“If the victim was hit there,” Leandro pointed to the pool of blood, “Then why are there tracks of blood on both sides? Unless, of course, the wagon decided to be a dick and go in reverse.”

Sam put a hand to his face thoughtfully. Yeah, that’s what had been weird. “Unless the wheels had blood on them before,” he reasoned.

“Exactly, which is a very ghost-like thing to do,” Leandro said. He grinned and held up a hand, which Sam high-fived, “Good eye man!”

Sam smiled, “Well, I did spend years training after all. I sure hope I have a good eye,” he said with a chuckle. He looked around once again to see Gabriel had walked off, following the wheel tracks into another room. Sam followed after him, Leandro close behind. There was more exhibits of the pioneer times, harking back to the days of the Oregon Trail, including a wagon in the back of the room. You could barely tell it was as old as it was - it must have been refinished and updated a thousand times. Sam bent, examining the wheels. There was no blood on them now, but the tracks cut off mysteriously right in front of them. 

“So it’s obvious the ghost came from here, right?” Gabriel asked, “So what now?”

“Well, it could be the wagon itself that’s haunted. Sometimes ghosts are attached to objects, not remains,” Leandro explained, “We could try burning the wagon before going on a wild goose chase for the body.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Sam was skeptical of the idea.

“Come in the middle of night with some gasoline and matches.”

Sam and Gabriel stared at Leandro. “That’s it?” Gabriel snorted, “Doesn’t seem very safe. What if the whole place catches?”

“It won’t, trust me. And if it gets out of control, we have fire extinguishers right there,” Leandro threw his thumb over his shoulder to an extinguisher on the wall. He shrugged, “Better be safe than sorry, right?”

“Well, fires are pretty romantic,” Sam joked as he put his arm around Gabriel’s shoulders and squeezed him close to him. Of course he did this out of love, although he also wanted to see Leandro’s reaction. If this fazed him in anyway, he did a great way of hiding it. What was this dude’s agenda? Was he a man-snatching homosexual or an oblivious heterosexual? At least he hadn’t tried to kiss Sam or anything. He supposed he would just have to wait and see until Leandro did something damning, if he did something damning.

 

The hours passed by slowly as they waited for nighttime to roll around. Deciding it would be a waste of time to go back to Gabriel’s house, and seeing as they weren’t sure how long they’d be there if the wagon didn’t solve anything, they got a room in a nearby hotel, two king beds. One for Gabriel and Sam, one for Leandro. There wasn’t much to do, so Sam had plopped down on their bed, leaning against some pillows as he read one of the random novels he had grabbed off of his old apartment shelf. Usually, he got completely absorbed in a book. Dean would have to slap him to get him out of his trance. It was like the words wrapped around his ears, blocking any noise. Right now, though, he felt like he was in this weird, peaceful limbo, as Gabriel laid against him, head on his chest, hair being stroked gently and played with idly by Sams fingers. Gabriel’s eyes were open, though they weren’t focused on anything, just staring out into emptiness, preferring to remember the feeling than the visuals of the moment. The sharpening of Leandro’s machetes was faint outside of their own bubble.

“You’re such a nerd,” Gabriel said abruptly, his voice groggy from the relaxing trance of reading. He chuckled to himself, then let out an ‘ouch!” as Sam playfully yanked Gabriel’s hair.

“You’re a nerd,” Sam shot back with a grin.

“No, I’m cool as fuck.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Opposites attract.”

Gabriel looked up at Sam and moved his head towards him, “Oh, whoa, I think my lips are being magnetically pulled to yours.”

Sam rolled his eyes but pursed his lips and leaned down, closing the gap as they kissed. Though he thought it was going to be just a little kiss of affection, it became deep and rough, as most of their kisses did. He just didn’t want to pull away first, and neither did Gabriel, so they both continued, slipping each other’s tongues into each other’s mouths. Suddenly, there was a slam, and Sam jumped, biting both his and Gabriel’s tongues. He winced and sat up, tasting a little blood in his mouth. 

“Ah, dude!” Gabriel clicked his tongue to the top of his mouth, undoubtedly tasting the same metallic flavor of blood. 

“Sorry, the noise...Scared me,” Sam murmured. Looking around the hotel room, he realized Leandro had left, and probably slammed the door behind him. 

“Jesus, what’s up with that guy?” Gabriel muttered, “I can’t tell what’s going on with him.”

“Me neither,” Sam shook his head. Gabriel was looking at him like he had a question on his mind. “What?”

“Do you...if he does like you, would you like him back?” Gabriel asked, picking at unseen threads on the comforter. 

“What kind of a question is that?” Sam was shocked that was even a question, “Babe, if I didn’t love you, do you think I would have come back to you after everything?” He wrapped his arm around Gabriel and squeezed him tight to him, “Remember that day on the beach? When we said we felt like we’d known each other for...lifetimes?” Gabriel nodded, “Do you think I’d give up a lifetime with you for a guy like Leandro?”

Gabriel shook his head. “No…” His tone still denoted he was uncertain. Sam opened his mouth to say more, but stopped when Gabriel sat up, “Think we should go looking for him?”

Sam gave Gabriel a quizzical look. “He’s a grown man, I think he can handle himself.”

Gabriel looked at Sam, giving his face a once over before he agreed. He stood up and stretched, letting out a loud yawn, “What time is it?” He looked out the window and groaned, “How is it still daytime? I wanna burn shit other than food!”

“You know we could always go out and do something,” Sam offered, going to stand up. He reached to the nightstand to pick up a bookmark, but Gabriel slipped his hand over it first.

“We should probably save our energy for tonight, right?” He reasoned, flipping his hand over to intertwine it with Sam’s fingers, “Why don’t you read to me until then?”

Sam couldn’t stop himself from chuckling, “I didn’t take you for the book type.”

“Well, no, I’m not really. I barely passed English. Or anything for that manner. Except Religion, dad made sure of that.”

“Religion?”

“You think my dad would let me go to a public school? I went to a catholic school for all my years,” Gabriel explained, “It wasn’t as bad as people think it is actually. Except for the constant lesson that homosexuals are going to hell and shit like that. Otherwise it was fine.”

“Does that mean you wore a uniform?”

“...Maybe.”

Sam grinned, “Dude, you got to show me that.”

“In your dreams, moose,” Gabriel flopped back down on the bed, “At least I didn’t go to a public school where people probably smoked and had sex at 14.”

“No one had sex at 14!”

“So it was 13 then?”

“Dude!”

“What? Just saying I’ve heard some crazy shit going on in public schools,” Gabriel said pointedly, “Now come on, get reading!”

Sam rolled his eyes and found his place in the book, clearing his throat and taking a breath as he began to read to Gabriel. It was cathartic, in a way, to be moving a little while reading, and before he knew it he was barely aware he was reading out loud. Gabriel even joined in, reading the parts of different characters in different voices, not even silly ones, just unique ones, bringing the whole thing to life as they fell into the rhythm, words surrounding them in their own little bubble as they read. They forgot all about Leandro and the case for a while, falling under the trance of each other’s voices and relaxing breathing, Gabriel’s head lifting up and down as Sam’s chest lifted it. They were in a perfect, hypnotic, unison.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam, Gabriel, and Leandro finally come face to face with the ghost they're hunting - but things don't go quite as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cranked out another chapter last night to make up for not posting in forever!

When nighttime finally dawned, Sam and Gabriel were woken from their unplanned nap by the slam of their hotel door. Gabriel jolted up, consequently knocking Sam in the jaw with his head. Sam cursed and rubbed it as he sat up, looking at Leandro with groggy eyes. “Where have you been?” He asked, now looking outside into the pitch dark. If he was only returning now, he must have been gone for hours.

“Taking a walk around town,” Leandro replied nonchalantly.

“For that long?” Sam wasn’t sure he believed that.

“Yes. Is there a problem with that? Perhaps you missed me?” Leandro grinned playfully, flashing his pearly whites. Sam refrained from reacting, simply swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing, stretching his back to the right and left until he heard a satisfying crack, allowing him to release his held breath. Once he looked back at Leandro, he noticed the hunter’s eyes dart away, and him going back to rustling through his duffel bag. Sam set his lips in a straight line. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, yet he knew that subtle action - after all, he had done it many times himself, when he was checking out boys and girls in school. The evidence was still shaky though. There wasn’t enough probable cause to accuse him of anything yet. Besides, they needed his help if they were going to be hunters.

“So are we ready to do this thing or what?” Gabriel piped up, pulling himself up after he had bent in half over the bed to crack his own back - a strange yet effective technique - unaware of what Sam had just seen. Or at least thought he had seen. Leandro pulled out a canister of gasoline, a can of salt, and a lighter as an answer. Gabriel’s eyes sparked instantly with excitement, zeroing in on the lighter. “Can I be in charge of the fire?”

Leandro shrugged. “I don’t see why not,” He tossed the lighter to Gabriel who caught it (surprisingly, given the number of times he’s missed or dropped things). Flicking it open once, just to look at the tiny flame, he closed it and slipped it into his jacket pocket. 

“Alright Ghostbusters, let’s roll out!” Gabriel snapped his fingers and hurried to be the first out the door. Sam chuckled and sprinted after him as he sped out of the hotel room, leaving Leandro in the dust. 

 

Sam thought it was a terrible idea to be intently learning how to lock pick right now, but Leandro insisted they both watch him to learn instead of keeping watch. Sam kept anxiously looking over his shoulder, leaning on his shotgun that was similar to the ones Gabriel and Leandro carried, until he heard the lock click, letting them inside. The museum looked eerie at night, and they could barely see anything until they turned on their flashlights. Somehow the flashlights made the scene even more ominous, casting sharp shadows on uncannily realistic figures of old pioneers. Gabriel stopped in front of one, wrinkling his nose as he poked the figure with the barrel of his gun. “Ugh. Why do these things always look so creepy?” he muttered.

“Well, it’s this thing called the uncanny valley, where it looks so close to real that our brains kind of think it is, but the couple little things that aren’t quite right throw us off and make us confused and unsettled. It’s the same feeling we get when we look at a clown. The lack of emotion or faked emotion makes us uneasy,” Sam explained, shuddering as he thought of clowns. God he hated those people. Those things.

Gabriel turned and stared at him. “Again. You’re such a fucking nerd,” he slugged Sam playfully in the shoulder.

“You’re a nerd,” Sam lacked a better comeback as he grabbed Gabriel in a headlock, giving him a noogie. Gabriel laughed and struggled to get out of his grip.

“Ahem,” Sam looked up and released Gabriel, meeting Leandro’s stare. He flushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck. Gabriel cleared his throat and looked away as well. Leandro jerked his head towards the wagon, “Let’s just get this over with, okay?”

Sam nodded, “Yeah, right, of course,” he muttered. Leandro turned and lead the way, Sam and Gabriel walking side by side as they followed.

In front of the wagon, Leandro threw his shotgun down and slung his bag on the ground as well, reaching into it and grabbing the gasoline canister. He unscrewed the cap and began to pour it around the wagon, leaving Sam and Gabriel with not much else to do except watch.

“Hey,” Sam nudged Gabriel, “I’m going to stand by that extinguisher, in case this thing does go out of control.”

Gabriel nodded, “Yeah, good idea,” He reached up on his tiptoes and gave Sam a peck on the cheek, “Don’t pull a Scooby-Doo and get kidnapped while we’re not looking.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” Sam saluted mockingly and walked over to the extinguisher. He leaned against the wall, just so nothing could sneak up behind him, and watched. 

Out of nowhere, Sam suddenly felt freezing.

He shivered, and as much as he wanted to rub his arms, he thought it was best to keep his guard up. He noticed Gabriel start to look cold too, as he let his gun drop to his side, rubbing his arm while still holding the flashlight. Leandro paused abruptly, putting the canister down. The temperature dropped - Sam had thought he had been exaggerating when he said it was freezing, until he saw his breath crystalize in front of him. Dread clawed at his insides. “Leandro? What’s going on?” He shouted from across the room. The hunter scrambled to pick up his shotgun before he answered.

“Looks like the ghost doesn’t like company,” he responded, “Get ready!”

Tension filled the air as it fell silent, only the rushing of his blood filling his ears as he looked around, waiting for something to happen.

There was the creak of wood, and Sam’s head snapped towards the wagon. A foggy light began to surround it, and then in the very front, where the driver would sit, sat the severed top half of a small boy, his torso decaying and face pale, but his milky white eyes darting around. Sam froze up. Holy shit, this was terrifying. 

“Get away from there!” Sam shouted.

Before anyone could move, the wagon rolled off of its platform and barreled towards Gabriel, who dove out of the way at last minute, but the ancient vehicle continued its course right towards Sam. The Winchester raised his gun and fired, the salt-filled shells making the ghostly boy disappear for a moment, derailing the wagon to veer left into the main room. Holy shit, he just shot a fucking ghost. It took him a moment to recover and run into the room, Gabriel appearing on his right and Leandro on his left.

“Damn, nice shot,” Leandro’s voice was in awe, “Get ready though, that only slows them down.”

Sam set his jaw and lifted his gun again, ready to shoot. The delay they caused wasn’t long - the wagon glowed again. However, the boy appeared in the front once again, and they were still behind it. While as far as Sam knew Oregon Trail wagons didn’t often go backwards, this one started to. Sam tried to grab Gabriel to throw him out of the way - except Leandro beat him to it, grabbing Sam instead and swinging him around his front so he got off to the side in time. He stumbled and tripped over an exhibit, falling over into the fake scene, whacking his head on a glued down table. He grunted and sat up, watching in horror as the back of the wagon slammed into Gabriel and Leandro then stopped abruptly. Although the wagon had barely any speed, the impact sent the two flying, presumably because of it’s supernatural enhancement. 

“Gabriel!” Sam shouted, as his boyfriend landed with a thud in the backroom.

“I’m okay!” Gabriel shouted back, but not without groaning. Sam let out a sigh of relief, then went right back to holding his breath has he grabbed his shotgun ad scrambled to his feet, sprinting out in front of the wagon and firing at the ghost - except this time he missed, shooting instead the box nailed shut in the front, making a hole in it. Surprisingly, the ghost screamed in pain, their flashlights flickering as he did. Sam blinked. How did that hurt more than shooting him directly?

The wagon’s wheels began to speed forward. Frantically, Sam ran backwards, shooting at the box over and over in the same spot, creating a decent sized hole in it. The ghost screamed and went faster, causing Sam to stumble and fall once again. He covered his head and squeezed his eyes shut, then yelled as he felt a wagon wheel roll over one of his ankles. Pain shot up through his leg and jolted his eyes open. The wagon had turned while going over him, but it had turned too sharply as it tilted to one side then crashed to the ground. Gabriel and Leandro rushed in, Gabriel sliding on his knees next to Sam, looking down at his bloody, broken ankle in horror.

“Sam-”

“I’ll be fine, come on,” Sam put his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder to try and stand, but he failed to repress his gasp of pain and dropped back onto all fours. He pointed to the wagon, “When I shot the box - he screamed. He was in pain.”

There was a gunshot, a high-pitched scream, and once again the glow was gone for a moment. Gabriel looked down at Sam guiltily, but Sam nodded him on, so Gabriel left him on the floor to go investigate with Leandro. From where he was, Sam could see Leandro kick open the box. “It’s his remains!” He shouted to Sam. He opened up his salt and started pouring it heavily on the bones.

As if they hadn’t already been through enough, one of the wagon wheels began to spin rapidly, screeching against the spoke before it flew off, the side of it skimming Gabriel’s head, which was enough to knock him down. The other half of the boy, his legs, walked in a jerky fashion over to the box, and then his torso appeared, hurriedly picking up his own remains and throwing them on top of his legs. Leandro, recovering from the shock of the wheel, shot at the torso, making it disappear, yet the legs continued to run away with the remains in an unnatural manner. Leandro was reloading his shotgun, so Sam got on his knees, lifted his gun, and fired. The legs disappeared, and the bones fell to the ground. Gabriel didn’t even need someone to tell him the next move. He dashed over while lighting his lighter and threw it at the bones, which promptly burst into flames. Momentarily, the two halves of the ghost appeared where they had last been, before being consumed in an inferno, screaming before finally being put to rest.

Sam let out the breath he had been holding and let his shotgun drop to his side. Gabriel kneeled next to him, grinning.

“We just killed a ghost,” Gabriel said. Sam chuckled.

“We just killed a ghost,” he repeated. They leaned into each other and kissed, Sam practically tasting the smile on Gabriel’s lips before he pulled away. 

“We should probably get you to a hospital now,” Gabriel, instead of trying to help Sam up again, scooped an arm under his legs and one behind his back. Sam’s eyes widened in surprise as Gabriel actually managed to lift him, with great difficulty, but lifting him nonetheless. He grunted, and strained a smile at Sam, who was still in shock.

“You got him Gabriel? You know I could -” Leandro moved to take Sam from him, but Gabriel started walking heavily away.

“Nope, nope, I got him,” he breathed, “Jesus Christ, you weigh as much as a moose,” He muttered under his breath.

“How do you know how much a moose weighs?” Sam asked.

“Shut up, I can feel my tendons breaking,” Gabriel snapped back, and Sam laughed. Leandro held the door open so they could exit, and Gabriel threw Sam in the back seat, before getting in the passengers as Leandro drove them to the nearest hospital.

 

Some stitches later, and Sam was limping into the hotel room with a walking boot wrapped around a supportive foot brace. A cast and crutches were out of the question for a hunter, Leandro said, though a walking boot would probably do just fine. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked down at his foot, wiggling his toes as he did. Gabriel plopped down next to him and frowned.

“Awww, my poow Samsquawtch,” Gabriel cooed, giving him a kiss on the cheek with an exaggerated “M’wah!”. Sam blushed and rolled his eyes at him. 

“So,” Leandro began, making the two look over at him on the other bed, “What do you guys think? You want to be hunters?”

Sam looked at Gabriel, who had trouble hiding his excitement. “Okay, I know you got a broken ankle and all, but you have to admit that was pretty dope,” Gabriel said, eyes sparkling. Sam chuckled. Yeah, he had to agree with his boyfriend. He did get hurt, though it wasn’t like he didn’t get hurt in his old job. And that rush of adrenaline - being out in the middle of a fight, weilding a weapon in his hands, thinking fast on his feet - no pun intended - felt great. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to be a hunter after all.

“Yeah, it was pretty amazing,” Sam nodded, “I think...I think we’ll do it,” He grabbed Gabriel’s hand and turned to smile at him. Gabriel smiled back.

“You think?” Leandro repeated, “You have to be sure. I know hunting monsters sounds and looks cool at first, but you can lose a lot of people along the way...friends and family, even strangers you just met. It’s not an easy life. It’s not one you can just drop and forget about.”

A heavy silence hung over the three, as the severe possibilities weighed down on their shoulders. Sam gripped Gabriel’s hand tighter, his fingernails digging into his skin.

“We’ll do it,” Gabriel spoke for the both of them. Sam nodded in agreement. Leandro looked between the both of them.

“Alright. Starting tomorrow morning, I’ll teach you everything I know. But I say we hit the hay for now,” Leandro yawned.

“Sounds fine by me,” Gabriel caught Leandro’s yawn, which turned into more of a scream as he stretched and flopped back on his back overdramatically.

“You know what I still can’t figure out?” Sam wondered out loud.

“What?” Gabriel prompted.

“Why were their remains in that wagon box?”

“Well, it was a little kid. Maybe his mother or father or whatever didn’t want to just ditch him in the middle of nowhere,” Leandro suggested, “So they stuffed him in there.”

“Jeez, poor kid,” Gabriel shook his head, “Well at least he’s in Heaven now...right? Wait, is that stuff real?” Gabriel jolted up at the realization. Huh, Sam couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of that before. If ghosts and monsters were real, did that mean Heaven and hell were? They both looked at Leandro for an answer.

“Well, yeah. Angels, archangels, demons, Heaven, Hell, they’re real,” Leandro explained. Gabriel groaned and flopped back down.

“Great. So my asshole dad was right,” Gabriel sighed, “Archangels are real, huh? I wonder what Gabriel is up to. Probably being an asshole.”

“Well, I assume they’re real. No one’s ever really seen an archangel. Angels are real though.”

“Oh thank God,” Gabriel breathed, “Wait, is God real then?”

“I don’t know man, I’m not a prophet.”

“So that little boy is in Heaven now?” Sam interrupted, before a fight could start.

“Yeah. The reason ghosts exist is because when people die, a reaper is supposed to take them to the afterlife, but sometimes they refuse and get left behind, stuck in the mortal world as a spirit. And they get corrupt, vengeful even. It’s a real sad thing to see,” Leandro shook his head.

Sam nodded thoughtfully. “Huh,” he let out a breath and flopped next to Gabriel in bed. So they weren’t just helping people, in a way, they were helping the monsters too. That made him feel a lot better, after making that boy scream in pain the whole night. At least in the end he put him in a better place.

“Okay, bed time,” Gabriel rolled over on his side, “Scoop me up Samshine!”

Sam laughed and turned over, adjusting himself so the sheets were now over them, before putting an arm around Gabriel’s side. Leandro turned off the lights, and soon the three of them fell into a deep sleep. Tomorrow, they would wake up with an entirely new life set out in front of them.


	12. Chapter 12

Sam gasped as he woke up, sweat slick on his forehead. He had a nightmare. The funny thing was that he could barely remember it. He could feel it though. The burning of milky eyes into his body, his blood-curdling as screams pierced the air. Though he was hot under the heavy sheets, he shuddered now.

“Bad dream?” Leandro asked, making Sam jump. The hunter was casually sitting up in his bed, perusing his laptop, probably doing something hunter related.

“Yeah.” When he was a kid, he used to get nightmares all the time - most of them were about fire. Some about his dad killing Dean after an argument, then some about his dad getting killed in a bar fight, like the one he witnessed by accident of his dad and a drunkard out in the parking lot. He couldn’t even tell the two apart when they had been fighting. The nightmares had faded though, maybe they’d come back once in a while when he was stressed, but otherwise they left him alone.

“You get used to them,” Leandro spoke as though from experience.

“I know,” Sam muttered in response. There was a beat of silence between them. “What are you doing up?” He asked, looking over at Leandro.

“Looking for another case.”

“Already? And at -” Sam paused as he felt around for his phone and clicked it on, “3:00 am?”

“What can I say? A hunter rarely sleeps.”

Sam glanced at a still snoring Gabriel. Man, could he sleep like a rock. “If hunters don’t get any sleep, Gabriel might reconsider this,” he joked with a snort.

Leandro laughed quietly, as to not disturb Gabriel. He pushed his laptop off his lap and swung his legs out of bed. “Want to get some fresh air?”

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, sure,” He got out of bed and limped after Leandro, still not used to the clunkiness of his walking boot. The painkillers the doctor had given him were wearing off.

Sam caught up to Leandro, who sat on the hood of his car parked right outside their room, as they were on the ground floor. Sam blinked as he saw Leandro light a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, the tiny ember the only light in the dark parking lot.

“You smoke?” 

“Yeah? What about it?”

“Nothing,” Sam hadn’t meant to sound judgemental, “Just I haven’t seen you do it before.”

Leandro took a slow drag on the cigarette and let out a puff of smoke. “I try not to do it in front of people. I know how much folks don’t like it when they get a faceful of smoke. Sorry, for being snappy at first. Usually when people see me smoke they get all sore about it, saying I’m going to ruin my teeth,” he grinned and flashed his pearly whites. Sam smiled back. Leandro simply looked at him for a moment, a sparkle in his eyes, before looking back forward, grin still plastered on his face.

“So, this whole hunter thing -” Sam began.

“Ugh, let’s leave that ‘till the morning,” Leandro cut him off as he puffed out more smoke, before taking the cigarette and flicking it on the ground, stamping it out with his foot, “Tell me ‘bout yourself Sammy.”

“It’s Sam.”

“Huh?”

“You called me Sammy. It’s Sam.”

“Well Gabe always calls you nicknames.”

“Not Sammy though. That’s only what my brother calls me,” Sam picked at his sleeve and shook his head as he thought of Dean. Had it only been a month since they parted ways? It felt like longer. Guilt wrenched at his gut and he stood. “You know, I’m going to go catch some more ‘z’s,” He turned to leave, but Leandro grabbed his wrist.

“Wait!” Sam turned to face the hunter, who was alarmingly close, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you or anything, I just...I think...I mean I’m pretty sure...I know…” Leandro seemed to have a tough time finding his words, looking at Sam with a hungry desperation in his eyes.

In the next second, Sam found himself yanked into a kiss with Leandro.

He tasted like smoke and death, like he had been around it far too long. The Winchester yanked away, staring at Leandro as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and walked back a few paces. Leandro looked just as horrified, running his head through his hair, looking away.

“Dude, what the fuck!” Sam shouted. He curled his hands into fists.

“Oh fuck, fuck fuck fuck,” Leandro repeated under his breath, “I’m so, so sorry, I-I just -” he shook his head, “I’ve been trying to figure out who - what I was - and then I met you and,” he gestured to Sam and laughed nervously, “you’re just - I -” words failed him yet again, “I shouldn’t have - I -”

The smack of flesh against flesh cracked through the air as Sam brought his fist across Leandro’s face. Leandro put a hand to his face as he looked back at Sam, his bottom lip trickling with blood. Sam wasn’t going to waste his breath. He knew what he did was wrong. 

“I deserved that,” Leandro murmured, nodding slowly, “I deserved that.”

“Tomorrow morning, you’re going to give us what we need, and get the hell out of here. Gabriel isn’t going to know until you leave. Got it?” Sam laid out the plan. They still needed help, going into this hunting business. He didn’t want Gabriel to do anything stupid until they got what they needed.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Leandro whispered his agreement. Sam turned to go back into the room, then made the split-second decision to whip around and deliver one more blow to Leandro’s stomach. The hunter gasped and doubled over, dropping to his knees, where he stayed until Sam slipped back into bed, careful not to disturb Gabriel, and fell asleep. 

 

When Sam woke once again, it was about nine in the morning. Gabriel was already up, getting dressed in a long-sleeved gray v-neck, throwing a black leather jacket over it. He turned to Sam and smiled proudly. “Look, I got up before you on a weekend for once!” He bragged.

Sam snorted and he swung his legs out of bed, yawning. “Well, I blame the painkillers for that.” Wiggling his toes again, he winced as a pain shot up his leg. Nonetheless, he stood and limped stiffly over to Gabriel, giving him a good morning kiss on the top of his head. Taking the moment to glance around, he realized Leandro still wasn’t in the room.

“Stop holding back,” Gabriel stretched up and kissed Sam on the mouth. While it usually felt pleasant, Sam could still taste the dirty smoke on his tongue. He pulled back first. This confused his boyfriend, as Sam almost never pulled away first. “You good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just - I don’t want to kiss you before I’ve brushed my teeth. Bad breath,” Sam jokingly breathed heavily on Gabriel, who wrinkled his nose and shrunk back.

“Ugh! Moose breath! Go down some mouthwash, Jesus,” Gabriel shoved his laughing boyfriend into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him, and the distinct click of a lock sounding in the knob. Sam tried to turn it, and it didn’t budge.

“Hey! Unlock the door!” Sam shouted, though he was still grinning.

“Not until I hear you gargling that mouthwash!” 

Sam rolled his eyes as he followed his boyfriend’s demands, reaching for the toothpaste. After all, he wanted to get the staining stench of smoke out of his mouth just as much as Gabriel did.

Once he emerged from the bathroom (after promising Gabriel about a hundred times he had taken care of his breath and kissed him to prove it), Leandro entered the room, looking like he had just been hit by a train. Exhausted circles hung beneath his eyes, the same eyes that averted looking at Sam or Gabriel. It almost made Sam pity him - almost.

“Jesus, what happened to you? And where have you been?” The oblivious Gabriel asked, “Is that...has that blood been on your lip since the fight?”

Leandro licked his bottom lip. “Yeah. I couldn’t sleep well last night so I went for a walk, that’s all.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow skeptically and glanced at Sam, who shrugged, acting like he had no idea what had really happened. He squeezed his hand into a fist a couple quick times before letting it drop to his side.

“So,” Leandro began, sitting at the kitchen table and flipping open his laptop, “let’s talk hunting, shall we?”

 

Leandro showed them a bunch of very illegal tricks on his laptop. Sam could almost feel his former FBI self watching him from the corner of the room, and Dean screaming at him. Damn, that was the second time he thought of his brother today. When he did, he had to excuse himself for a moment, saying he had to use the bathroom, and instead paced around in the small room for a couple minutes before sitting on the side of the bathtub, staring at the phone in his hand. On instinct, his thumb when to call Dean or even Facetime him, as he always did when he needed advice. Anxiously, he dropped his phone on the floor and sighed, dragging his hand slowly down his mouth. Finally, he picked it up, slipped it back in his pocket, and walked back out, rejoining Gabriel at the table. Though he doubted Gabriel noticed his distress, Gabriel slipped his hand to Sam’s under the table, squeezing it. Sam smiled softly as he squeezed back, not letting go for the remainder of Leandro’s lesson.

Leandro then led them out to his Invicta, opening the glovebox and first handing them a copy of a map, different locations marked all across America. He pointed to marks in green. Despite there being a legend down in the corner of the map, Leandro explained the marks anyways. “These are hunter taverns - they’re more like bed and breakfasts with alcohol, but you know hunters, everything needs to sound cool,” he shrugged, “Anyways, hunters meet up there to rest, maybe for some down time in between cases, and as a way to find new cases. The owners usually scrounge up a few and hand them out to those who ask, so they don’t have to waste time looking for one,” he pointed to blue marks, “And these are places to get fake badges and credit cards. They’re surprisingly easy to find,” finally, he pointed to red marks, “And here is where you can get hunting supplies, no questions asked.” He folded up the map and handed it to Sam, holding onto it for a moment too long before letting go. He then reached in and grabbed a pile of what must have been about sixty or eighty pages and dropped it into Gabriel’s arms. “That’s scanned copies of my bestiary. If you have trouble identifying something, look through there and odds are you’ll find it.”

Gabriel let out a breath as he tightened his grip on the thick package. “Yup, got it, thanks.”

“I’d suggest checking out one of the fake credit card dealers first. Weapons aren’t cheap. And if you ever need anything, call me.”

“Thanks Leandro, really. We’ll try not to bother you anymore than we already have,” Sam held eye contact with Leandro for a brief moment as the underlying message went through; ‘We’re never talking again’.

Leandro, unreadable as ever, didn’t let it show that he had gotten what Sam meant. “Really, it’s no trouble. It’s fun, training rookies,” he smirked slightly, keeping his shining white teeth hidden this time.

“Alright, I guess this is goodbye,” Leandro reached out a hand and shook Gabriel’s, but didn’t reach it out towards Sam. He just gave a small wave, “Good luck out there, you two.”

“And to you as well,” Sam returned.

Gabriel and Sam watched as Leandro drove off. Sam let out a sigh of relief as the tension released from his chest. Gabriel let one out as well as he plopped the stack of papers in the back of his truck, then leaped into the front seat. Sam got into the passengers, slamming the door harder than he meant to.

“Jesus, what are you trying to do, break my truck?” Gabriel asked teasingly. Sam gave a half-hearted smirk, making Gabriel frown. “Come on, what’s up? Something’s been bothering you all morning.”

Sam looked at Gabriel, then down at his hands. “Gabriel…Leandro kissed me.”

Sam didn’t even want to look at Gabriel’s face, so he kept staring down.

“What!? You kissed Leandro!?”

“Leandro kissed me!” Sam shouted, looking up at Gabriel, “He forced it on me, I pulled right away and I punched him in the jaw and stomach. That’s why his lip was bloody.”

Gabriel gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against the steering wheel. “Damn it Sam, why didn’t you tell me! I’m gonna kill his punk ass!” Gabriel reached to turn on the truck, Sam intercepted by grabbing his wrist.

“That’s not going to solve anything Gabe! I already taught him a lesson, he regrets it, he still helped us out, let’s just forget about him!”

“Don’t grab me like that!” Gabriel ripped away his wrist, “Did you like the kiss?”

“What?”

“Did you like it when he kissed you!?”

“No! Of course I didn’t! I told you, I punched him and -”

“Then why are you stopping me?” Gabriel snapped, “Some part of you must of liked that. Who wouldn’t like a hot latino guy like that kissing them?” He asked, eyes watering. Before Sam even had the chance to say anything, Gabriel opened the truck door and stormed out across the parking lot, no destination in mind. Sam followed, calling after him, and though he was slow on account of his ankle, his long legs allowed him to catch up. Gabriel turned, presumably to yell more, yet never got to as Sam forcefully kissed him, almost knocking Gabriel over had he not clutched him so close. After a moment, he pulled away and looked down at Gabriel, who looked up, both of their chests heaving irregularly from anxiety. 

“We talked about this Gabe. You think I’d give up a lifetime with you for a hookup with...some guy?”

“Some hot guy? Yeah, I wouldn’t doubt it,” Gabriel tried to turn away, only stopped as Sam grabbed his shoulders and turned him around, then cupped his face.

“Gabe, what are you even talking about? I don’t like Leandro, and even if I did it wouldn’t be because of his looks. You’re adorable Gabriel - you know I love you. And your shining hair, your whiskey colored eyes, your...your body…”

Gabriel’s face turned bright red. He looked down. “Sam…” he murmured, not sure how to respond. He laughed nervously. Sam took his hand. “I just...why didn’t you tell me? I can’t think of why you wouldn’t,” Gabriel asked with a sigh, collecting himself.

“I knew you would be pissed. I mean, look how mad you just got,” Sam forced a small laugh, “I didn’t want you to do anything until we could get as much help from Leandro as we could.”

“Yeah...okay, yeah, I get that…” Gabriel seemed to be coming back around, as he looked back up at Sam, who squeezed his hand in reassurance.

“Would hunting another monster make you feel better?” Sam asked, and Gabriel laughed, a sweet, full laugh.

“Yeah, if I can pretend it’s Leandro.”

“Sounds good to me,” They started to walk back to their truck, hand in hand, “Hey, so I think we should look at your Facebook for another good badge photo.”

“The day you see my Facebook is the day I die, Sam. And that’s not happening any time soon.”


	13. Chapter 13

It had been about two months, and Sam and Gabriel had become well-adjusted to the hunter lifestyle. Though Gabriel still complained about the sleeping schedules they were on.

Gabriel had quit from his job, telling his boss to go drink some formaldehyde before dramatically storming out, and immediately leaving to become hunters. They did as Leandro had told them, acquired some fake IDs and credit cards (that made Sam not only want to rip the illegal badges but himself to shreds when they brought them), stocked up on weapons that were well hidden in the closed-cover back of Gabriel’s trunk, kept under lock and key, and finally chased after their first hunt. And then their next. And their next. About every week or so, maybe with even less time in between, they’d find themselves thrown into another case. Sam didn't mind it - in fact he liked it. The adrenaline, the hard problem solving when it came to examining a crime scene, the constant movement - it made him feel awake and energized. It wasn’t too far off from being an FBI Agent. Gabriel was right - this was a nice replacement. Speaking of Gabriel, he seemed to like the grind too. He said it made him feel like a badass. Which, Sam had to admit, he was. There had been one case where they were hunting a kitsune, and maybe it was sadistic, but when Gabriel had dodged it’s furious swipes and then stabbed it through the heart, standing like an action hero, his hair all disheveled and chest heaving, he looked hot as hell.

After that, they had a pretty fun night.

Now, Sam woke up in the small motel room in the hunter’s tavern, not checking the time, as he knew it was early in the morning by the weak sunlight filtering in. He looked down at Gabriel, who was cuddled in his arms, for once not sprawled out wildly across the bed with his foot in Sam’s face. Sam smiled softly and buried is face in Gabriel’s neck, sighing. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to get up from this. Just because Gabriel felt so cozy in his arms. It was the same feeling as having a cat fall asleep in your lap - you didn’t want to move and wake them up, but eventually you just had to. Knowing this, Sam gave Gabriel a kiss on the head and gently shook his arm. “Gabe,” He murmured, “Wake up. Time for work.”

“Mr. Pierce, I wouldn’t be caught dead in those coffins,” Came Gabriel’s muddled response, still groggy.

“Gabe, we’re hunters now. We’re going to hunt another monster.”

“Oh. Right. Morning Samshine,” Gabriel turned over to face Sam and grinned, blowing his bangs from his face, “What’s on the agenda for today, Agent Johnston?” It was a common joke between them now to use some of their alias’ as playful nicknames. 

“Well, health inspector Ryan Andrews, we’re going to find a new case, as always.”

“Ugh, that’s my least favorite nickname. Double names are so weird,” Gabriel rolled his eyes., “You made me less horny.”

“I didn’t, Ryan Andrews did.”

“Okay, I’m going to health inspect some breakfast,” Gabriel rolled over to the edge of the bed and swung out of it, stretching and yawning. He was wearing one of Sam’s t-shirts over boxers, as he had started to do. It fit him like a nightgown, given their size difference. Sam teased him by saying he looked like Ariana Grande. There was a lot of teasing in their relationship - at first glance, one might not even expect they were dating at how much they joked about hating each other. But all that playful hate came from hearts full of love. 

Sam got out of bed, and made the two of them pancakes on a hot plate from the stuff they had brought last night, planning their breakfast. Gabriel loved everything on his pancakes - whip cream, strawberry syrup, chocolate chips, strawberries - you name it, it was in Gabriel’s pancakes. And he scoffed them down like he hadn’t eaten in months. Sam rolled his eyes, eating his plain pancakes, not daring to talk as he was afraid that if he tried to initiate a conversation with Gabriel, he’d choke on his giant mouthfuls while trying to answer.

Finally, they packed their things, and walked down the hall into the main room, which was really just someone’s living room all cleared out and made into something resembling a tavern. Hunter tavern’s weren’t actually taverns, as Sam and Gabriel soon learned. After all, what would they do if some average Joe walked in and saw everyone researching murders and monsters? People either set them up in abandoned buildings that the town didn’t even bother to patrol, rundown places no one would even think was still up and running, and even people’s homes. The one’s in people’s homes were sometimes temporary, sometimes permanent, but nonetheless impressive, founded by loners and the sort. These were the best, since they actually had rooms to sleep in. 

Hunters were sitting around tables in the robust setting, some with their laptops out, some with books, some alone, some in pairs, some in groups, all researching a case and helping one another out. It was the most abstract form of community Sam had ever seen. A young African woman answered a question that an older gentleman had asked his partner, who didn’t know the answer either. You could see this happening all around, even those flying solo tapping the shoulders of someone else to share some info, maybe even to work on the same hunt together. It felt like the room was bustling with activity when there weren’t even many people there. It made Sam smile, as cheesy as it was. 

Sam and Gabriel took their own seats at the makeshift bar, where the owner of the place, a decently young Eastern Asian man, was running an inventory check. He looked over his shoulder as Sam and Gabriel approached and turned, leaning on the counter. “I hope you boys don’t drink this early in the morning,” he commented.

“No, we’re just wondering if you got any cases for us?” Gabriel asked.

The man bit his lip thoughtfully and put up a finger, telling them to wait a moment as he grabbed a notepad from the other side of the counter and ran his finger down the list, presumably a list of cases. Finally, he stopped and pointed at one. “Topeka, Kansas, people are saying there’s something fishy going on there. A woman was seen kidnapping a man and basically disappearing as police and witnesses lost sight of her, only for her to show up the next morning at work with seemingly no recollection of what happened, saying she was asleep the whole time, and her husband could vouch for that since they were…’sleeping’,” The man winked.

“So, maybe a shapeshifter?” Sam proposed, as he recalled information from Leandro’s bestiary the best he could. He read that thing over and over to try and retain the information by heart. The less he had to look at that thing, the better.

“Could be,” The man shrugged. He scribbled down the address on another paper and ripped it off, handing it to the two. Sam took a closer look, no fully realizing where the case was at first.

“Topeka Kansas?” He repeated.

“Yeah. Why?” The man asked. Gabriel also gave him an odd look. Sam shook his head.

“Nothing, it’s just that I used to live there. Well, near there. Next town over, Lawrence,” Sam explained, “My brother and father are still there.”

“Huh, isn’t that a funny coincidence?” The man smiled, “Good chance to pay them a visit.”

Sam nodded slowly. “Yeah. It is.” He folded the paper nonchalantly and slipped it in his back pocket, replacing the five bucks that he slid across to the man. It was common practice to tip the owners of these taverns whenever they gave a lead. They called it “giving a tip for a tip”. He stood, grabbed his and Gabriel’s bag, and walked out, giving a friendly wave as they exited.

“Are you okay going so close to your hometown?” Gabriel asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Sam reassured. Gabriel picked up his pace a little and stood in front of Sam, putting a hand on his hip as he looked up at him disbelievingly.

“No, you’re uncomfortable. We could go back in and see if he has anything different,” Gabriel offered. Sam shook his head.

“Gabe, we’re in the next town over, I doubt we’ll even see him. And maybe...maybe we could make amends, if we did.”

Gabriel blinked. “You sure we’re talking about the same person? The brother who didn’t believe you and the shitty ass dad?”

Sam rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say with Dad, it would at least be nice to make up with Dean. I may have been kind of...harsh...I mean, how could he believe me?” The thought had been on Sam’s mind lately. Maybe he had overreacted because of stress…

Gabriel pursed his lips, but shrugged, “Alright. If you say so. But if things go south, I have the right to say I told you so.”

“Deal.”

 

They had gotten used to passing the time on the long drives between hunts. They'd ask each other about their childhood, the past that was a little closer to the present. Even the future sometimes.

“Would you want to have kids?” Gabriel asked all of a sudden as they got stuck in traffic. Sam looked over at him then back at the road, uncertain of which answer Gabriel was hoping for.

“No, I don't really think so.”

“Really?” Gabriel asked, “Why not?”

Sam shrugged. “I don't know. I guess I don't really see myself ever...settling down. I mean, not fully. I'd get a house and husband -” he nudged Gabriel with his elbow and flashed a smirk that fell quickly, “- But I'd keep working. Of course I need a job and all, but I'd do something like this, something out in the field, some hard work. And if I couldn't do that, maybe I'd take up a hobby, like...woodworking or something. My point is, it'd be pretty time consuming and all. And I just can't see myself being a dad. If I'll be honest, Dean was - is - great with little kids. I kind of suck with them. I'm better with teens.”

“What do you mean you suck with little kids?”

“Like, talking with them, dealing with them. What do I say when I don't think they can understand me?” 

Gabriel laughed, “Wow, you really overthink that stuff huh?”

“Shut up.”

“Come on, all you do is hype them up, tell them jokes, play tag until they get tired, that's all! You don't need to have an intelligent conversation about politics with them!”

“I know but-”

“‘Hey little man, see the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode? Who do you like? He's my favorite too!’ See, it's easy!” Gabriel was eating this up, a big grin stretching his cheeks. Sam had trouble not smiling and had to look away, making Gabriel laugh even harder.

“I want kids,” Gabriel said as he calmed down, “Or at least one, a little rascal running all around. I want to tell someone to go to their room.”

“Yeah? I didn't take you for one to want kids.”

“Of course I do! When I was a teen, my little nephew always came over. I think he was my nephew, at least he felt like he was. Something about second cousins or whatever. Anyways, I was his favorite so we hung out all the time,” Gabriel explained, “He was a bit odd, but he was adorable. We'd go fishing and stuff like that. I wonder what he's up to these days,” Gabriel said with a sigh.

There was a beat of silence between them.

“Do you think being hunters will...ruin all of that? Leandro made it sound like it was a pretty big deal.” Gabriel’s voice was a tone higher from the worry.

Sam shook his head. “I'm sure we can stop and settle when we want to. What's stopping us from that?”

“Yeah, I guess you're right.”

Sam put his hand on Gabriel’s thigh, making him blush lightly, and Sam kept it there as they drove.

He hoped what he said was true.

 

After spending the night in a hotel in Topeka, they set off to the given address, the scene of the crime, which was just a bit outside the city. It was the last known location of the man, as then the two had disappeared into the woods. It had only happened a little over 24 hours ago, so it was likely cops would be on the scene as a part of the search party. They pulled up on the side of the road, right near the two police cars already there, next to the car the woman had reportedly stolen and abandoned, as she had driven her own car to work.

Sam took a good look at his fake badge, getting his name straight, before shutting the little container they kept them in and throwing it in the glovebox. “Ready Gabe?”

“That's Agent Nickels to you, Agent Peters,” Gabriel replied. Sam rolled his eyes and got out of the truck, Gabriel following. They went to approach the two officers on watch duty, when Sam noticed a third figure. He stopped in his tracks and glanced around, his suspicions confirmed as he spotted Baby parked on the other side of the road. Dean liked to park away from others right after he give Baby a fix or a wash, so they didn't hit her on accident. Gabriel noticed his distress.

“What's wrong?” He followed his gaze, “Do you have a fear of Impalas?”

“No, I-”

“Sam?”

Sam looked up to meet Dean’s eyes, barely noticing the curious looks of the officers. Dean muttered an ‘excuse me’ and handed one of them his coffee as he walked to meet Sam, eyes narrowed. He stopped firmly a few inches in front of him.

“Dean-”

“Three months,” Dean stated coldly, “Three months of me worrying my ass off about where you were and if you were okay. What the fuck man?” Dean covered his hurt with anger - Sam could tell because he was furious.

“Dean, I'm sorry, I just - I just needed to get away for a little and think, alright?”

Dean snorted and nodded sarcastically. “You did a lot of thinking with that boyfriend of yours, huh?”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Gabriel spoke up, scrutinizing Dean. Dean looked at him in surprise, then huffed and motioned towards Gabriel as he still looked at Sam.

“This is the dude you ditched us all for?”

“Leave Gabriel out of this,” Sam’s muscles tensed, “I didn’t leave you and dad for Gabe, I left because you were being an asshole when I was stressed out.”

“Being an asshole? I facetimed you whenever I could to help you out! You’re just pissed because I brought up dad -”

“Dean, come on -”

“There it is again!” Dean accused, “Why are you so mad at him anyways?”

“I told you why!”

“There’s something else, isn’t there?”

Silence fell over them as Sam bit his lip. There was more - a lot more. Dad was why their childhood had been all screwy, why he got dragged into being an FBI Agent in the first place. He always said he liked it, but he remembered being on the verge of nervous tears more times than he could count.

He didn’t want to admit that to Dean, though. Not right now. Not here.

“Listen man, I’m sorry. I was harsh. I shouldn’t have expected you to believe me anyways,” Sam sighed in resignation. Gabriel looked at him with a pout.

“Does that mean you’re over all that monster nonsense?”

Again, Sam didn’t know what to say. He glanced at Gabriel, who glanced back, only to see what Sam would say. Apparently, they took too long to answer, as Dean rolled his eyes. “Unbelievable. Does this dude have you drugged up or something Sam? You’ve gone off the rails ever since you met him.”

Gabriel stepped up to Dean at the accusation, an inch away from him though their faces were further due to Gabriel’s short stature. Dean looked him squarely in the eye as Gabriel rolled up his sleeves threateningly, staring right back.

“I would never, ever, do something like that to anyone,” Gabriel snarled, “Least of all to Sam. You’re just pissed off you don’t have him under your little heel anymore.”

Dean’s jaw tightened. “You’re lucky there’s cops here. Otherwise you’d be bawling on the ground, with my fist red on your face.”

“Sounds like an excuse to me, pretty boy.”

Sam’s heart jumped, “Gabriel, come on, let’s just go,” he grabbed Gabriel’s hand and forced him away before Dean could do anything. The only person Dean would ever let bring harm onto Sam was Dean himself. He knew how he got when he was angry. Dad had really taught him well.

“Running away as always, Sammy. Glad to see one thing hasn’t changed.” Those were Dean’s last words as they both walked away from each other, Dean motioning to the two police officers and walking into the woods with them.

“I could have taken him Sam,” Gabriel said as soon as they got back in the truck.

“Gabe, I’ve been on the receiving end of Dean a few times. You couldn’t have handle him. Trust me.”

There was a silence as Gabriel unrolled his sleeves, looking out the window at the cop cars. “What do we do now? We still have a case to do and your ass of a brother is blocking us from getting anything done.”

“We’ll just have to look for something else to do. For now, we’ve got a whole day to kill. Soooo,” He looked at Gabriel with the beginnings of a smile, the same forming on Gabriel’s lips.

“Date time?”

“Date time.”

“You know this place better than I do. Where to, Sammich?”

Sam made Gabriel switch seats with him, placing him behind the steering wheel as he started up the truck. “I’ve got the perfect idea.”

“What? What is it?” Gabriel asked eagerly.

Sam simply grinned as he pulled away, and Gabriel whined, “Awww, come on Sam! Tell me!”

“Nope. It’s a surprise.”

“Saaaaam!”

Sam laughed, each intake of air pushing Dean further and further in the back of his mind.


	14. Chapter 14

Gabriel wouldn't stop trying to get hints the whole way to their destination, so Sam just started blasting classic rock on the radio to drown him out, all the while grinning sadistically. Finally, he pulled into the parking lot in front of a park, Ward-Meade Park specifically. He remembered coming here once. It wasn't intentional really, they just needed somewhere to park the car and sleep in for the night. Sam remembered not being able to sleep for one reason or another, and he had woken Dean up. Being the practical father he was, Dean helped sneak Sam from the car and walk around the park during the night, as there was no gate to block the entrance. Faint were the memories of glowing lanterns and blooming daffodils planted alongside running water. It was the perfect spot for a date.

“We’re here,” Sam announced, stepping down from the truck with Gabriel, then held hands with him. Gabriel scanned the area.

“A park? Of course you’d bring me here, you nature geek,” Gabriel teased, and Sam elbowed him as they walked, turning into a shoving war which ended with Gabriel on the ground. Sam held out a hand and helped him up, continuing on their way with big grins.

Just as Sam had remembered, Ward-Meade Park was this intriguingly beautiful combination of American and Japanese culture, which is the last thing one would expect in Kansas. An old prairie town was the main attraction of the place, consisting of a mansion that had been preserved throughout the years, a church, and a drug store. They first went to the mansion, exploring the rooms with criminally low ceilings that Sam kept bumping his head on (why did the colonists have to be so short?). When they came to the bedroom, Gabriel plopped down on the bed, and the first thing that came out of his mouth was “Ever think about how whoever used to live here had sex in this bed?”

Sam wrinkled his nose, “No, because normal people don’t think that.”

“Really? Never? Not even looking at it and thinking that mysterious stain could be an ancient cum stain?”

“Alright, you lay in your creepy historical sex bed, I’m going to get drunk at the drug store so I can forget that,” Sam walked out of the room, bumping his head which ruined his dramatic exit as Gabriel burst out laughing, scrambling out of the bed to follow Sam.

They did pass by the church, and Sam went to enter, only to stop short in his tracks by his hand being tugged back. He looked at Gabriel, who was looking at the religious building with contempt. “Let’s...not go in there. Churches are so boring.”

Sam looked between his boyfriend and the church. “You don’t have to make up excuses, you know. I get it.”

“...Thanks,” Gabriel hooked his elbow around Sam’s as they walked by, heading instead into the old-fashioned drug store, an actual bartender at the bar. With Gabriel’s charm (at least he says it was the charm and not the extra twenty bucks he slid the girl), they convinced the woman tending to let them take the root beer floats they had ordered in old-fashioned fountain glasses out of the store and for a walk around the block. Luckily, she didn't seem to care about her job much (or she just really liked the twenty buck tip), and so they sipped on their drinks as they went to the more Japanese influenced sections of the park. It was cold out, being early September and all, and each breeze brought a new chill into the air, forcing Sam and Gabe closer together to keep warm. Their shoes crunched over fallen leaves as they crossed a bridge that arched over water. Gold and orange scales of koi fish caught the light. Gabriel smiled at them warmly, then got on his stomach and slid his arm through the bottom of the railing to dangle his hand in the water. A fish brushed past his hand and he pushed back against it, petting it before it got spooked and swam away.

“Wow, those fish really like you,” Sam commented, as Gabriel hopped back on his feet.

“What can I say, I got a way with animals. Maybe that’s why I attracted a moose,” Gabriel winked as Sam sighed and rolled his eyes, chuckling as they continued on their walk. Wind rustled the leaves above them, which muffled their voices as they talked lowly, passing under a gazebo and past a water garden, before coming upon an area sheltered area. Stones circled around thick tree trunks and supported the benches that rounded them. Sam took a seat, and Gabriel cuddled up beside him, sighing dreamily as he gazed upon the flowers accentuated by the dullness of the autumnal leaves. 

Despite the chilly weather, Sam’s body flooded with heat as Gabriel wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer, which at this point Sam had thought was impossible. 

“I’m glad we ended up having fun, after all of that,” Gabriel looked up at Sam. Sam looked down as the memory of Dean came flooding back. Suddenly, Gabriel felt guilty. “Fuck, sorry man, I didn't mean to make you -”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Sam said with a sigh, “I can’t just ignore it.”

Gabriel looked out into the trees. “You’re better off without him anyways.”

Sam looked at Gabriel now and shook his head slightly. “I don’t think I am,” he confessed, “He’s always been there for me, and Ive always been there for him. We like...depend on each other. I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn't do for him,” his heart swelled in a different way than when he looked at Gabriel - he yearned again for their brotherly love.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know Sam. Forgive me for saying this or don’t, but that doesn't sound...healthy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean just ‘cause you’re family doesn't mean you have to get along all the time. Families can drift apart as easily as friends can. Believe me, I get it, but after a while I realized I was so much better off without Luci or Mike, without all of them,” Gabriel’s whiskey eyes iced over, “Maybe you should just let him go instead of bending over backward to make things work out again.”

Sam shook his head. “No, it’s not just that we’re brothers. He practically took care of me growing up, and we actually get along really well. Is this because he insulted you? Gabe, he’s just mad, if I talk to him again I’m sure you two will get along.”

“Yeah, when he thinks I’m the reason you’re ‘off the rails’?”

“Gabe, just give him a chance. He does a lot of stupid shit when he’s mad.”

“So do I when I’m drunk, it’s no excuse for him to lose control.”

“I’ll go talk with him alone tomorrow -”

“Nope, no way you’re going alone.”

“I can handle myself!” Sam snapped. Gabriel tightened his jaw as they looked at each other for a moment then looked away, Sam staring at his empty glass. He heard Gabriel exhale heavily.

“I didn't mean to make this an argument. Sure, we can do that tomorrow. Let’s just worry about today,” Gabriel slid his hand in Sam’s, and he could hear his knuckles crack Gabriel gripped them so hard. “I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too,” Sam returned in a low voice as he turned his head and kissed Gabriel on the top of the head, trying to put the disagreement aside. “Remember when I called you an angel?”

Gabriel nodded, unsure of where Sam was going with this.

“I didn't think angels could be such douchebags.”

Gabriel looked up with a shocked expression, not registering it was a joke until Sam burst out laughing. His face turned scarlet and he crossed his arms as Sam carried on, holding his stomach and bending over as tears came to his eyes. Gabriel was trying so hard not to laugh when Sam finally broke him as he nudged him in the ribs, finally making him sputter out a laugh that rang above the fall breeze.

 

Parking back at their hotel as the sun was setting, after they had spent the rest of the day in the park, they were greeted by an unwelcome sight - Baby parked across the lot. Sam groaned. He couldn't catch a break, could he? Of course he just said he wanted to talk to Dean, but he needed some time to gather his thoughts. If he didn't assert his control over the conversation, Dean would just take it over and end it before he could even get a word in. With all the time he spent shooting first, he never bothered to learn how to ask questions too.

Gabriel rolled up his sleeves again. “I know you want to talk to him alone. I’ll be back up.”

“I doubt we’ll even run into him. I mean, if he’s in his hotel room.”

“Can never be too prepared.”

They walked into the lobby, and Sam’s eyes swept the place. Obligatory cushioned chairs, a husband and wife trying to tame their unruly children as they dragged their bags in, an old man filing complaints…

Sam recognized the back of Dean’s head sipping on a coffee. As far as he knew, Dean hadn't noticed them, and so he grabbed Gabriel’s hand and speedily walked to the elevator, which they thankfully didn't have to cross in front of Dean to get to. Yet, as he turned to press the button to their floor and looked out into the lobby, he saw Dean was watching them out of the corner of his eye. Or was he seeing things? He thought for sure if Dean had really seen them, he would have come over or called them over. Instead, his brother’s eyes flicked back forward and he continued to sip his coffee. He exchanged a glance with Gabriel as the door closed. Something was...off. He couldn't tell if something was wrong, just that it was odd and out of place in his brother’s usual behavior. 

“I think that’s the first time someone’s ghosted me in real life,” Gabriel joked flatly, and Sam snorted.

The hotel room was nothing fancy, with geometrically black and cream patterned wallpaper that matched the soft gray comforter of the king-sized bed. Gabriel flopped onto it, as he had declared himself the official judge of hotel beds. He wiggled around on it with a thoughtful face for a moment. “Eh, 3 out of 5.”

“Good enough for some Netflix,” Sam jumped in next to him, searching for the remote on the nightstand, “What will it be tonight?” Every night, they tried to take some time out of their hunt to watch an episode of some Netflix series, just to unwind.

“Hmmm, how about Gilmore Girls?” Gabriel grinned at Sam, who groaned.

“You just like it because that dude looks just like me when I was younger.”

“It’s not my fault you have an equally cute doppelganger!” Gabriel claimed defensively. Sam rolled his eyes, yet picked the series, much to Gabriel’s delight as he stared dreamily at Sam’s doppelganger, ironically named Dean. Was this what other people thought he and Gabriel looked like? He wanted to vomit.

When they were a couple episodes in and the sun had fallen out of sight, there was a knocking at their door. Sam got up, not bothering to pause the show as he went to check who it was. He peered through the peephole and froze at the sight of Dean. How did he know what room they were in? And why was he carrying his duffel bag?

“Who -” Sam put his finger to his mouth to shush Gabriel, who obeyed immediately. Sam slowly crossed the room back to Gabriel, trying to pretend they weren't there.

“Sammy?” Dean’s voice came as he knocked on the door harder, “Come on Sammy, I just want to talk.”

Sam stayed silent.

“I know you’re in there.”

More knocking met with silence. Knocking evolved to pounding. Sam stood, rifling through his bag and pulling out a knife for protection. He was getting violent, too violent.

The door broke inwards, and Dean stood in the doorway for a moment. Sam stopped in shock.

“Dean? What the hell-”

Sam was cut off as his brother grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall, shaking it so that the tacky painting fell off the wall. His lungs burned as he struggled to get oxygen, scratching at Dean’s hands with his nails, trying to pry them from him. “Dean!’ He shouted hoarsely, attempting to take in another breath and failing miserably. 

“Sam!” Gabriel leaped from the bed and dove at Dean’s feet, managing to topple him over. The other Winchester landed on top of him. Dean swiftly rolled off of him and forced Gabriel to his feet as Sam fell to the ground, gasping and coughing. He looked up to watch in horror as Dean slammed his fist into Gabriel’s head, over and over, moving so fast that Gabriel’s face was covered in blood in a split second. He tossed Gabriel to the ground, who lay there unmoving, though his eyes were still open. Dean turned his attention back to Sam.

Everything made a little more sense as his green eyes turned a startling white.

“Shapeshifter!” He shouted for Gabriel to hear, gasping as Dean picked Sam back up and slammed him against the wall, cracking it around him. Then he did it again. And again. And again. Sam lost count as his head began to swim and his vision became fuzzy, before finally turning black.

 

Even with his blurry vision, Gabriel could recognize the freakishly (and handsomely) tall figure of his limp boyfriend being picked up and thrown over “Dean's” shoulder. Blood dripped from the back of his head, leaving a trail on the carpet as the shapeshifter left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Gabriel groaned as he pushed up onto all fours, even that simple motion making the floor shift in his vision. A sour taste came into his mouth from his stomach, yet he swallowed it. He had to keep himself together. Getting to his feet, he leaned against the wall. He grimaced as he touched his face gingerly, and looked down to see blood dripping from his nose. Pinching it, he looked around and swore under his breath. What was he supposed to do now? He reminded himself to breathe deeply as he crossed to the window, scowling as he saw the Impala pull out of the lot.

“I’ll get to you Sam,” Gabriel murmured, then looked at his bloody reflection in the window. His heart fell. “Somehow…”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's really been over a month huh...sorry I really have no excuse other than I was just not feeling motivated and had trouble finishing the chapter. But I'm hoping to get the next one out sooner!
> 
> Unlike the previous chapters, this is from Gabriel's POV instead of Sam.

Gabriel splashed water on his face, watching as blood ran down into the drain. He shook his face and looked at himself in the mirror, clenching the sides of the sink as his eyes ran over his swollen cheek and cut lip. He tossed the cotton balls that he had stuck up his nose to stop the bleeding into the trash and took a deep breath. How pathetic. He couldn’t take a few blows to the face with falling over like a broken vase? His grip tightened, so much so that he thought he might break off a piece of the sink. He closed his eyes, taking more deep breaths, though they stuttered like a failing engine. He was helpless. Back at home, hiding in the bathroom as his father went off on Luci again. Pacing the tiny room. Deep breaths, He told himself, Deep breaths. More yelling. His shoulders began to ache. Helpless little asshole. Pathetic.

Before he even knew he was doing it, glass was already scattered on the ground. Little cuts ran along his knuckles. He remembered silence falling downstairs, and footsteps coming up. How he fell to the floor pretending to be unconscious. When his father had “revived” him, he had spun a tale of him slipping on some water that was on the ground and hitting his head into the mirror. If his father had known the truth, he would have been disappointed. Gabriel chuckled at his old antics and looked down at his hands, flexing them. “Sam’s not gonna like this mess when I get him back,” he murmured, laughing dryly. It took him a moment before he forced himself out of the bathroom door.

Ever get that feeling when you wear something and you feel like just by wearing it, you’re a badass? Or some young adult fiction protagonist? That’s how Gabriel felt as he wrapped bandages around his hands, deciding to go a little overboard and going down his forearms too. You know, for the aesthetic of it. Another calming breath filled his lungs as he left the hotel room. “Go to where Dean last was, find Sam, get out of there,” he murmured to himself as he let the elevator doors close. Yeah, he could do that. It was just three things. Things he was capable of doing. Very capable of doing, especially alone. 

Odd looks followed him out to the parking lot, eyeing his face and overuse of bandages. Gabriel pretended not to notice as he opened up the back of his truck, reaching in under the cover and digging out a silver knife, gun loaded with silver bullets, and a machete, since decapitation seemed to work on most things. Gabriel paused and looked down at the weapons. Silver was what harmed shapeshifters, right? Sam was usually the one who knew this stuff. Gabriel had never been much of a reader, so he just trusted that Sam knew it. He could look through a bunch of pages of Leandro’s bestiary for the correct information. Looking at the clock, however, dissuaded him from this. He shrugged and slipped the gun into his pants, right in the crook of his back, his machete into his holster, knife in his pocket, and just for good measure he took his arm and swiped some miscellaneous stuff into a duffel bag. 

“What are you hunting with all that?” Gabriel looked over his shoulder at a young man who had been walking by, scrutinizing the hunter. 

“A good deal at Victoria’s Secret. Mind your business buddy,” Gabriel shot back as he closed the trunk of his truck and climbed into the front. Deep breaths. His heart was still pounding as he pulled out. He turned up the music to drown out his thoughts, the radio saying it was some song by Kansas. “Don’t think, just do,” he murmured. Don’t look in the mirror to see his beaten face. Don’t think of how a shapeshifter could do much worse to him - to Sam, if he wanted to. Just don’t. He never had to think before, Sam did the thinking for him. Not to say he was no help or anything, just that Sam was a lot smarter than he was.

Gabriel turned the music louder as he kept driving.

 

Night had just descended when Gabriel pulled up to the spot where two cop cars were still sitting, abandoned. He parked right beside him, at this point not worried about being caught with his plethora of weapons. He couldn’t actually carry much with him, so he threw some different ammo in his back pockets and would figure out which ones worked when he needed to, he supposed. His flashlight broke a path into the dark woods, and he followed it cautiously, resting the light on top of his gun. Stay crouched, move slow and light. Keep your ears open for any sounds you aren’t making. Sam had taught him that, a lesson from when he was training for a field position, he said. Gabriel gritted his teeth as worry clawed at him. Why’d he have to think about his damn boyfriend so much? Why was he his weakness?

An unpleasant scent shoved it’s way up Gabriel’s nostrils. He screwed up his face and kept moving forward, the smell growing stronger. He came upon the source; two bodies clothed in police uniforms, blood pooling from their necks. Gabriel grimaced at the sight. It wasn’t even the blood that bothered him. It was their eyes. They were open.

He stood there for at least a minute in silence to make sure he didn’t hear anything out of place before setting his gun down. He ran his hand over their cold faces, shutting their eyelids since they could no longer do it themselves, then grabbed his gun as soon as he was done and looked around. Dean’s body wasn’t anywhere in sight, nor was Sam’s, so that was a pretty good sign. A mental sticky note stuck to the wall of Gabriel’s mind to report the bodies to the police when this was all over as he continued onwards.

The woods felt endless. It didn’t help he was stalking at a snail's pace, and while his legs itched to go faster, he restrained himself. Instead he readjusted his grip on his gun to try and remedy his nerves. He groaned internally. Was there anything out here? Maybe he should have done more research about what was actually out here before diving in head first. His stomach churned with self-doubt. No, this was the right thing to do. Sam was somewhere out here and he’s in trouble.

Luckily for Gabriel, the trees began to thin slightly, and a building came into sight. He stopped a few feet from the edge of a huge parking lot. It looked more like continental plates than a parking lot it had so many cracks, overrun by weeds and graffiti tags. Occupying the top right corner of it was a large and long building, decaying from years of abandonment, the sign hanging above it’s door unreadable. From what Gabriel could tell, it was an old lumber mill. He smirked silently to himself as he skirted the edge of the lot towards the building, heart thumping with each step. From the outside, the place looked empty, but if horror movies had taught Gabriel anything, that shapeshifter would be hiding in here.

Keeping on his tiptoes, he crossed from the shady protection of the woods and squeezed his back against the wall, right next to one of the broken windows. At this point, he had turned off his flashlight, so he dared a peek into the place. It was hard to see anything, and for a moment Gabriel was worried it was empty. As he focused, however, he could make out some odd shapes in the darkness, among the rusted machinery and shipments that had never been delivered. If he wasn’t mistaken, they were definitely the shadows of humans. Not only that, but the little light that the dark sky provided glistened off of a slick, wet pile of gunk. Just looking at it made Gabriel’s stomach churn, and he resisted the urge to gag.

Now, Gabriel’s eyes caught some movement. A hand plucked up a large chunk of the gooey skin, and examined it before throwing it in a garbage bag. Even just by his silhouette, Gabriel recognized him. A six-foot-four hot hunk of moose musk and perfect hair. His breath caught in his chest. Shapeshifters didn’t kill their captives right? Man, how he wished he had actually read that bestiary instead of lying to Sam. It was just so boring. He promised himself, and Sam, that he would read it in full after this. Well, maybe not in full, maybe just a onceover. Or ask Sam to give him cliff notes on it.

“Stop using my face,” Gabriel almost jumped out of his skin as he heard Sam’s voice. He sounded groggy, and his voice scratchy, like he’d just woken up.

“Or what?” The same voice replied, stronger, “Your brother there will wake up and save you? Like he always has?”

“Stay out of my -”

“They’re mine too, big guy,” The figure moved closer to the window Gabriel was peering in, so the hunter flattened himself to the ground. His shadow passed over him, a chill running its course up his spine as it did. Warily, he got into a squat low to the ground and peered over the sill, seeing the figure stop in front of a post not too far from his window. “Why don’t you stay quiet, yeah? I’ve got to get ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“Pay an old girlfriend a visit.”

“Is that why you stole my body?” Sam asked.

“Yes, actually. We were happy for a while, I kept with one preferred appearance while with her. I still had to shed my skin though. And she saw. Called me a freak. With a body like this though,” The shifter motioned to himself, “And with her not knowing who I am, there’s no way she won’t date me. So thanks for the body,” he grinned and winked. There was a grunt from Sam as he tried to yank away from his post. The shifter went to the other side of it and fiddled with whatever was holding Sam to it, before standing up straight. “If things work out, I look forward to knowing you for the rest of your life here.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” The shifter waited for an answer.

“Gabriel will come.”

The shifter laughed. “Good one dude. Alright, I gotta do my hair, so why don’t you chill out for the night?” The shifter patted Sam on the shoulder and passed the window again, forcing Gabriel to ground a second time. Once he was clear, he popped back up again to see a light switched on in a corner of the barn resembling a dressing room. A lamp shone on “Sam’s” hair as he looked in the mirror, running a brush through it, whistling as he did. The mirror was on the opposite side of the window, so Gabriel took the chance. He realized he could just wait for the shifter to leave, but with each passing second his heart slammed harder against his ribcage, and he was afraid if he waited any longer it would break. He reached up and grabbed the top of the wood framing the window. Jumping up, he placed his feet on the sill and then swung in, planning to land gently on his feet. However, his back scraped against the broken glass remaining on the sill, cutting up his back. He sucked in his breath through his teeth and landed flat on his stomach. He froze in place, keeping to the ground. The shifter froze and turned, looking around the old mill. Gabriel felt his eyes pass right over him. In the darkness, he must have been hidden, because the shifter shrugged and went right on back to tending to his hair. Like a seal on ice, Gabriel dug his elbows into the cement and dragged his way over to Sam, who was staring at him in surprise.

“Gabe, what -” Sam stopped as Gabriel put a finger up to his lips. He looked over his shoulder, glad to see the shifter hadn’t heard them. He got into a crouch and felt his way around the post, finding the knot and trying to work at it. Damn, it was complicated. This guy must have done boy scouts or something, because Gabriel could not figure it out for the life of him. Anxiety made his fingers tremble as the seconds passed and he still failed to loosen the knot. Sam strained his neck to try and see what Gabriel was doing. “Pull that one under,” he murmured under his breath, and Gabriel tried to follow it, “Wait, no, the other string, try pulling that.” Again, no dice. He thought of using his knife, until he realized the sawing of it would make too much noise, and he wanted to stay hidden for as long as he could.

Sam was so focused on helping Gabriel, he didn’t even see the shifter was coming up behind him until it was too late.

Gabriel gasped sharply as he was nailed in the side by the shifters foot, thrown against the wall. He groaned, lying sideways on the ground, hand clutching his stomach as he heaved a cough. Burning, screaming, his lungs cried for air. They were in shock, unable to move or contract. Everything looked to be in slow motion as the shifter stepped towards him, squatting down in front of him. Gabriel couldn’t even move, only glance up at him despisingly.

“Wow, you did come for him,” the shifter’s eyes - Sam’s eyes - were wide, impressed even. It gave Gabriel a little flicker of satisfaction. “Not gonna lie, kind of surprised. But whatever,” the shifter reached behind his back and took out some rope, running it through his hands. When the shifter’s hand closed over his wrist, Gabriel hated that it felt exactly like Sam’s. Rough rope began to wrap around his wrist, then when the shifter reached for his other one, Gabriel lashed out with his silver knife. He yelped in surprise and stumbled back, a deep slash along his forearm, crisping at the edges of the wound. The air was returning to his lungs, and Gabriel stood. He stared up at the shifter who’s eyes were now alight with fury. “God damn it! I can’t be bloody on our first date!” He shouted, eyes glinting as the moonlight passed through a window and hit him. Fists flashed through the air at Gabriel, and he moved swiftly out of the way, darting to the side as he fumbled to pull out his gun.

“I’ve catfished before man but this is on a whole new level!” Gabriel had to get in at least one good quip. He shot, and missed as the shifter ducked and dived for Gabriel’s feet. Again, Gabriel darted to the side, and shot again, the bullet digging itself into the shifter’s thigh. He cried out in agony and scrambled to get up. Leg failing him, the shifter fell onto all fours. Gabe shot again, and unexpectedly the shifter shot forwards again, taking Gabriel down by the legs. High-pitched ringing filled the hunter’s ears as his head banged against the cement floor. The shifter crawled up over him, grinning. It took everything in his power not to laugh - Sam had gotten just like this in bed, except he was much more charming than this lunatic.

The shifter looked like he was going to say something. Gabriel didn’t care enough to listen. Nothing this asshole had to say was worth his time. He put his gun to his chest and pulled the trigger. Gabriel grunted as his corpse landed on him, and he shoved the massive body off. Looking at an exact image of Sam, lifeless on the ground, made his stomach heavy. Instead, he turned around and looked at the living Sam, his Sam, and gave a thumbs up.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked as Gabriel moved back over to him, flipping out his knife.

“You think a shifter could take me down? Please Sam, you think too little of me,” Gabriel assured with a smirk. He ignored the wet dripping down the back of his neck. Tension broke beneath his hand as he cut through the rope, and Sam brought his hands in front of him, rubbing his raw wrists. Gabriel took one of Sam’s hands and kissed his wrist, grinning up at his boyfriend. Sam rolled his eyes, and briefly touched his lips to Gabriel’s forehead before standing. As much as Sam hated to admitted it, Gabriel knew he could always get the blood flowing to his cheeks...and maybe other parts of his body.

Gabriel hopped up beside Sam. “Alright, let’s blow this pop stand.” He began to saunter out of the warehouse before being jerked back as Sam looped his fingers under his shirt collar.

“Dude, did you forget about Dean?” Sam looked around anxiously for his brother. Oh yeah. That asshole.

“I wish I could,” Gabriel said with a sigh, and Sam elbowed him in the ribs as he moved into the middle of the floor, squinting into the darkness. Gabriel rolled his eyes. A part of him - a very big part - wished they could just leave Dean behind. Seeing Sam’s big puppy eyes all worried killed him though. That was the only thing stopping him.

“Dean!?” Sam shouted into the darkness of the warehouse. Gabriel thought he heard a sort of muffled sound. What direction it came from, he wasn’t sure, until the clanking of a metal barrel being knocked over drew their attention to far back on the opposite wall. Sam repeated Dean’s name as he jogged over, Gabriel taking his sweet time to follow him. He wasn’t in a hurry, per say. He even casually examined his fingernails as he finally came up beside Sam. Dean was tied up in a similar fashion, except he also had a gag across his mouth, and was stripped down to his boxers. Gabriel guessed the shifter needed his clothes to really sell the illusion, but he just started laughing at Dean’s embarrassed and annoyed face. Sam undid the gag, and then paused, smirking at Dean.

“What? What’s the smile about? Get me out of here man!” Dean snapped.

“Say it,” Sam said.

“What?”

“Say that I was telling the truth about monsters, and that you forgive me.”

Dean swallowed as he looked up at Sam. His eyes almost looked watery. “I...I’m sorry Sam. You were telling me the truth, I was an ass and...I do forgive you…” He trailed off and looked away.

Sam cut the rope, and the first thing Dean did was throw his arms around Sam, pulling him down into a hug. At this point, Gabriel looked away, rolling his eyes once again. Even with his sweet tooth, this was too sugary for his stomach to handle. Like he hadn’t eaten something so sweet in a long time.


	16. Chapter 16

Dawn light was just beginning to peer over the trees and run its long fingers over Gabriel’s red truck when they emerged from their long night in the woods. Along the way, Sam had answered Dean’s questions about monsters and hunting, everything. It was a nice change of pace now that Dean believe him, accepting his answers wholly, still kind of speechless from the whole situation. And cold. Sam hadn't been wearing a jacket when he was taken, since they were in their hotel room, and Gabriel rushed out the door in such a hurry that he had forgotten his, wearing just a t-shirt and slim fitting jeans. Sam had made sure to scold him for his recklessness, especially since a jacket could have saved him the nasty wound that was jagged across his back, still bleeding even now. He said it didn't hurt that much, which was utter bullshit. Sam would try to fix it himself if he could, but otherwise he would drag Gabriel by the ankle to the hospital. As if that wasn't enough, he was limping slightly and holding his side. After his first rib injury with the vampire, Sam wouldn't be surprised if those weakened bones broke again from that kick. 

As for himself and Dean, they weren't too bad off. Dean’s face was beaten, much like Gabriel’s, and his back and legs were all scraped up from struggling against the shifter half naked on rough cement. Sam had his raw wrists, and his throat was hoarse as all get out, but otherwise he was fine.

They got in the truck, Sam insisting on driving since he was the least injured, and Gabriel obliged, taking the passenger's seat. Dean didn't want to leave Baby alone, but Sam convinced him that the rational thing to do was stay together right now, and that they could come back for Baby in a bit. Dean sat in the back, looking around. “Still no jacket?” He asked disappointedly.

“Sorry, but that’s just one of the many disadvantages of not having any body fat,” Gabriel remarked, chuckling to himself as he put his feet up on the dash and leaned back in his seat. Regret crossed his face as he winced and pulled his back away. There were light blood stains left on the polstry. “Oh, come on, that’s never gonna come out,” he complained. 

“Weird, that’s what I always used to say about Sam,” Dean replied from the back. Gabriel was determined not to laugh, so he kept pouting as Sam shot Dean a playful glare and chuckled.

“Alright, let’s get you two some medical attention,” Sam pulled out from the side of the road. Gabriel sat up straight.

“Sammich, come on, I’m fine. Let’s just go back to the hotel. And dump this guy somewhere,” Gabriel jerked his head at Dean. Sam sighed.

“Gabe -”

“I’m actually with your tiny boyfriend on this one. I just want to go see Cas,” Dean’s voice was almost wistful as he said his husband’s name. God those two were inseparable. 

“Dean, seriously?”

“Yes Sam, does it sound like I’m joking? I want to see my husband after the weirdest fucking night of my life. Is that too much to ask?”

“No, but we can go to the hospital and then -”

“Nope! It’s two to one Sam, we’re going to drop your trash brother off at his house first,” Gabriel pointed at Sam with a cocked eyebrow and winning smirk. Sam glared at him. It was at times like these he hated democracy. 

“Fine,” Sam turned with the road, remembering his brother’s address well. He reached across and held Gabe’s hand to reassure him he wasn't truly mad, only concerned. Gabe kept looking forward. Sam could tell he was smiling as he saw his cheeks lift from his peripheral. He still didn't lean back against his seat.

 

It only took half an hour for them to get back to Lawrence, and about twenty minutes more until Sam rolled up into Dean’s driveway, turning off the ignition. Sam turned to Gabriel. “Do you need help getting down?” He asked concernedly.

“Sam, you worry too much. I’m all good!” Gabriel insisted. Sam rolled his eyes and got out, then heard the dropping of Gabriel’s feet against pavement and the slam of his door. Dean was hesitant to get out, after all he was unsure if his neighbors would see him in his boxers, but he had to get out sometime. When he did, he speed-walked up to the front door, looked down to get his keys only to remember he had no pockets and he had left them in the Impala. Sighing, he knocked heavily on the door. 

“Cas! It’s me!” Dean called, knocking another sequence before pausing. There was the sound of footsteps, and then Cas was at the door, with his black hair sticking out all over the place and drooping eyes. He was in his pajamas, some black pj pants and a beige tank top. His tired eyes widened at the sight of Dean, and immediately he pulled him into a hug.

“Dean, oh thank - thank someone,” His voice was muffled by Dean’s shoulder, and then he pulled away a moment, looking his husband up and down. “Why are you naked?” Cas tilted his head, yet looked more than amused.

“It’s a long story. Can I get past you babe? I’m fucking freezing. I’ll get dressed, then we’ll talk.”

Cas nodded, and only now seemed to be noticing Sam and Gabriel. “Sam,” he said in that gravelly voice, and stopped there, not knowing how to continue. He glanced at Dean.

“Part of our long story is we made up. We’re good. He’s good,” Dean said, sharing a look with Sam. Cas looked between the two of them, his plump lips part slightly.

“Jesus Christ, are we gonna stand out here all night looking at each other?” Gabriel interrupted, shoving past Dean and Sam, holding out his hand. “Gabriel Novak, Sam’s boyfriend, former morgue employee, good to meet you.” When Cas didn't take his hand, as he was so taken aback, Gabriel sauntered in anyways. Cas looked baffled at his poor manners. The three of them walked in after him. “Wow, nice place,” Gabe commented as he made himself at home, leaning against the kitchen counter, “Got anything to drink? I’m neighing over here, if you know what I mean?” He looked at Cas, who still looked like he was searching for words. Dean squeezed his hand and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Sam will catch you up while I get dressed. I’ll be right back down.” With that, Dean walked up the stairs. Cas watched him then looked at Sam. “What’s happening? Why is your boyfriend bloody?” He eyed Gabriel suspiciously. Gabriel threw up his bandaged hands.

“You’re not a cop like you’re husband, right? Cause I didn't kill anyone...any human, at least,” Gabriel added the last part under his breath, “Look pal, you might want to sit down for what Sam’s going to tell you.”

Sam shrugged and nodded as he pulled out a kitchen seat. “Yeah, he’s probably right.”

 

The recap was tiring. It was like not having a “skip intro” option on Netflix for Sam, but Cas was paying attention the whole time. He didn't interrupt, and when Sam asked if he was following still, Cas nodded patiently and told him to continue. It was quite the change from Dean’s reaction, which was a relief. He finished with Gabriel killing the shifter, and sat back, waiting for the questions to roll in. about hunters, monsters, everything that he had just dumped on Cas. None of those questions came. Cas just sat back with one last nod and quietly went “Huh.” Sam burst out laughing at the nonchalant response. “What’s so funny?” Cas tilted his head as he always did.

Sam waited to calm before speaking, “Well, I was expecting you to -” He stopped as Cas’ attention was taken from him to the steps, the sound of Dean’s footsteps alerting him. He was dressed now, in checkered pajama pants and an old Led Zeppelin t-shirt. He came up behind Cas and bent down, hugging him from behind and burying his face in his neck. Cas smiled softly at him.

“Are you alright with all this?” Dean asked, voice muffled.

“Yes, I’m fine Dean,” Cas gave him a peck on the cheek, and Dean looked up to really gauge Cas’ reaction. He looked equally as surprised by Cas’ calm nature, but said nothing about it.

Gabriel announced his presence with a loud yawn from the bar stool at the kitchen island. “Alright, since everyone’s caught up with the newest season of our lives, why don’t we hit the road?” he hopped off the stool, then sucked in through his teeth, hand going to his rib. Cas stood up quickly.

“No, I think I speak for both me and Dean when I say we’d be more than happy to have you here,” Cas offered, and Dean nodded in agreement, “And let me take a look at your wound.”

“Um, thank you Cas, but I think I’m going to take him to the hospital,” Sam stood. He loved Cas like a brother, it’s just...he wasn't the best with people, and seemed to lack an understanding of some basic things. So Sam didn't exactly trust him to have great medical knowledge.

“Sam, I patched up my brothers countless times from all kinds of scrapes. I can handle it,” Cas reassured, his confidence overwhelmingly convincing, “Besides, it will save you the bill.”

Sam set his lips straight, yet stepped aside as Cas fished some medical supplies from a cabinet. Gabriel took off his shirt so he could get a good look at the wounds on his back and head. Cas’ blue eyes examined them carefully, then took out a pair of tweezers. “There’s some fragments of glass in here. It will take me a moment to fish them out,” Cas explained, reaching in with the metallic tools. He had a laser like focus, his hand steady. There was no use talking to him in this state. 

“Hey,” Dean nudged him, “Mind if I talk to you outside for a minute?”

Sam glanced at Gabriel, who mouthed “don’t leave me”. Sam grinned and nodded to Dean. “Yeah, of course.” He slipped on his jacket and walked out the door with Dean. They took a seat on the front steps, Sam stretching his long legs out and breathing in the cool air. Dean looked out and up into the night sky, a thoughtful look on his face.

“I’m sorry,” Dean started, “For what I said. And did.”

Sam shook his head, “It’s - Ya know, I probably shouldn't have been so sure you would believe me.” He looked down at his hands, a deep guilt furrowing in his stomach.

His brother pouted and shrugged. “Yeah, you did sound like one of those flat-earther wackjobs. But I guess now I have to be one of them too.” He smirked as Sam chuckled, still looking at the stars, as if searching for an answer. “I was still a dick though.”

“Yeah you were. Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

They looked at each other and smiled, then looked back forward. Dean opened his mouth again, and Sam really wished he hadn't. “About dad -”

Sam sighed heavily. “I don’t want to talk about dad.” Just saying the word ‘dad’ left a bitter taste in Sam’s mouth. 

“ - I just don’t get it man, why the hell are you so pissed at him? I just want to know.”

The taller brother fiddled with his hands. “Until now, I thought being an FBI Agent was...what I wanted. So when all the stress just kept coming and coming and coming, I kept rolling with it because dad kept pushing me and pushing me, making it seem like it was the right thing to be and do,” he knew he was rambling, but he couldn't stop now, “and it felt like this loop where I couldn't win. When I was working with other people, they were condescending because of my age. They didn’t let me do the work myself, and then I’d be stuck in an office after we finished, doing paperwork with no idea when my next field assignment would be. I had no time for myself or anyone else, and no offense Dean but even with you I still felt lonely. Then when I worked solo, I had a mental breakdown and felt like shit most the time. It wasn't right for me.” Sam closed his eyes and shook his head. “Dad pushed me into that life, and kept pushing. I needed to detach from it. For my sake.”

“Okay…” Sam’s eyes were still closed, so he couldn't see Dean’s face as he spoke. “Isn't being a hunter similar though?”

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, kind of, but I control our hours. We go where we want, when we want, we make a humble living of it. And we’re needed. There’s not a lot of good hunters out there, not any that last long anyways, but we’re new and we’ve been doing great. The FBI can protect citizens from real people, but we don’t have enough people fighting the actual monsters. Also, fighting monsters is a lot more badass than a regular murderer.”

Dean chuckled at the last part. He held his hands together. “Okay...I think I get it. Just - I don’t want you to get your dumbass killed. Especially since you’re finally getting laid.” 

“Fuck you,” Was the only retort Sam could think of as Dean laughed his ass off. As his brother calmed, he held out a hand. “So...are you going to tell dad all this?”

“How much do you want me to tell him?”

“Nothing.”

“Alright. Then I’ll tell him nothing. He is real worried about you though.”

Guilt left Sam in the form of a sigh. “Tell him I texted you with an “I’m okay”. That’s it.”

Dean shrugged. He stood, and Sam followed. His older brother pulled him down into a hug, the second one in an hour, which was a new record for them. They never really hugged. He didn't know why. It felt good. He kind of wished they did it more. For now, he savored it, practically crushing Dean between his arms before releasing and going back inside.

Cas was only now finishing extracting the pieces, and was laying strips of bandages across the cuts. “Don’t take these off for a few weeks, okay? At least a month,” he advised, pressing down on them. He pressed down hard, as Gabriel winced. 

“Take it easy man! Jesus, are you a masseuse or something?” Gabriel snapped, frowning. Sam could tell why he was unhappy. There was another bandage on his head, under his hair, yet still slightly visible. If there was one thing you didn’t mess with on Gabriel, it was his hair. Cas ignored his complaints and continued to press down. Sam squinted his eyes as he watched him. Something seemed...weird. Which was vague, he knew, it was just that something looked off about Cas’ hands and he didn’t know what. Cas finished before he could figure it out. Gabriel hopped from the stool he had been leaning against and stretched. “Huh, I feel better already! Thanks...what’s your name again? Constantine?”

“My name is Castiel.” Oh Cas. So formal, so weird. Everything about him was weird, in an adoring, oblivious dog kind of way. 

Gabriel looked at him in confusion. “What is that? Italian?”

Cas rolled his eyes and ignored the question. Gabriel glanced at Sam, who could only offer a shrug. The man was full of mysteries. Before taking the name Winchester, he never shared his last name. Ever. On his documents he went by Smith, at least Dean said, and Sam doubted that was his real last name. They barely even knew where he came from. That never stopped Dean from falling for him though. And whatever Cas’ past was didn't get in the way of him falling for Dean.

Dean wrapped his arm around Cas’ waist. “We don’t have a guest room, so you two are gonna have to make yourselves comfortable down here. You know where the blankets are Sam. And no funny business.” 

Sam wrinkled his nose while Gabriel crossed his fingers behind his back, grinning at Sam. With that, Dean practically whisked his husband up the stairs, leaving Sam and Gabriel to their own devices. Sam’s boyfriend flopped onto the couch as Sam fetched blankets from a closet in the corridor, a couple of big ones made of fleece. The couch wasn't huge, so Sam threw Gabriel a blanket, which he caught and dragged over himself, and Sam went to sit in an armchair. “What are you doing? Get your moose musk over here.” Sam turned around and chuckled. 

“Seriously? There’s no room.”

Gabriel looked at the couch, then stood, dragging the blanket with him. He motioned for Sam to lay down on it, and the Winchester looked at him quizzically before laying on his back. To his surprise, Gabriel climbed on top of him, laying face down. Their faces were too close to resist as Sam grinned and gave him a kiss, dragging it on for a long moment before pulling away. It was surprisingly comfortable. Gabriel was an average weight for a man, yet the sensation of it on top of Sam was comforting and pleasing. He was basically a big, squishy teddy bear. Wrapping his arms around Gabriel, he held him tight to his chest, closing his eyes as they two of them drifted off to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took super long to get out and is kind of short, but I hope you enjoy it anyways!!!

A flick in the head, and Sam was awake, looking up at Dean through squinted eyes. Dean motioned to Gabriel on top of him. “Dude, I said no funny business.”

“Yes, because we had sex in the most uncomfortable position on your couch,” Gabriel rasped, his throat carrying a morning gruffness as he woke. The golden-haired man looked down at Sam and grinned, his face still bearing bruised marks from their battle. “Morning Samshine,” he purred, giving Sam a brief kiss on the lips. They didn’t open their mouths, both agreeing that a gross morning mouth didn’t make for the best of kisses. Dean wandered off to the kitchen, already dressed for work in an immaculate black suit.

“Morning Gabe,” Sam returned softly, then glanced at Dean. “What time is it?”

“About 11. Bobby’s gonna be pissed once I finally turn up,” The FBI Agent turned and leaned with one hand against the counter, taking a sip of his plain black coffee, “But I think I earned the rest before going to get Baby back.”

Gabriel rolled off of Sam and onto his feet, to which Sam took in a deep breath and let out a heavy exhale. It’s not like his boyfriend was a huge weight on him, but it was still freeing to have a full grown man get off him. Getting to his feet, he turned his torso in place both ways until his back gave a satisfying crack. Couches  _ killed  _ his back. Gabriel, however, seemed fine. Was it weird to feel satisfaction that you made a decent mattress?

“Pour me a cup of Joe buddy. And put some cream in that thing, you sinner,” Gabriel’s nose wrinkled in disgust at the black coffee as he sauntered over to the kitchen. Dean’s lips mocked his word’s silently before taking another sip of coffee. 

Sam got dressed as Dean made them more coffee, then sat around the table with the three of them, taking a moment to breathe. They all needed a moment. So they sat in silence, a comfortable silence, and drank their coffee together, trying to take in the events of yesterday and calm down. It had been a lot. Sam would never admit it, but he was terrified when that shapeshifter got him. He knew he could normally take care of himself. That was, with his weapons and all that though. Back there, he had been alone, and he honestly hadn’t been sure when Gabriel would come.  _ If  _ he would come. He kept scolding himself for that. Why wouldn’t Gabriel have come to save him? And he kept coming up with more answers. Because he’s   _ scared _ . Because he didn’t read the bestiary and Sam damn well knew it. Because he was still beaten and bloody on that hotel floor. Because he hadn’t heard him when he’d choked out ‘shapeshifter’. So many reasons for Gabriel not to come. But he did.

A nudge in his ribs jolted Sam from his thoughts, and he looked at Gabriel, who was bouncing a coffee mustache on his lips. Sam snorted as he laughed at such a dumb joke, and Gabriel grinned, stretching his mustache wide with his lips. Dean rolled his eyes, holding his tongue. He knew he couldn’t say shit, Sam bet him and Cas did dorky romantic stuff like this all the time. Once, when Sam had been dropping by to give them mail accidentally delivered to him, he walked in on Cas painting Dean’s back. Sam just dropped the mail on the doormat and walked out before he absolutely lost his shit. After about five minutes Dean had to kick him out and tell him to stop laughing with the most beet red face Sam had ever seen on him. 

Putting down his empty coffee cup, Sam looked down at his watch. “Well, we should probably get going, if you want to go to work at all today.”

Dean nodded, putting his own cup down. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Where’s that Castello guy? I’ll feel bad if I don’t say thank you,” Gabriel said, looking around.

“I let  _ Castiel  _ sleep in. Just so he doesn’t have to think about all this for a little while longer,” Dean explained. Luckily for Cas, he was unemployed, so it didn’t matter how late he slept. But Dean said he was always an early riser, and sometimes he’d spook him late at night. Dean would wake up at midnight to use the bathroom and Cas would be staring at him. “I think he might have insomnia or something,” Dean had said once, “But he doesn’t want to see a doctor, and it’s not like I can shove the medicine down his throat.”

“Alright, just tell him we said thank you later. Seriously, he made me feel a shit ton better. I could do a backflip right now.”

“Gabe, you couldn’t do a backflip before you were healed,” Sam pointed out.

“Well I could do one  _ now.  _ I feel like a million bucks,” Gabriel insisted, stretching tall just to prove it. He didn’t wince or show any signs of pain, which Sam found odd, but shrugged off. It wasn’t really important right now.

The three of them got into Gabriel’s truck, Gabe back behind the wheel. Like before, it didn’t take them long for them to be back in Topeka, parking next to the still abandoned cop cars and Baby. Gabe frowned as he saw them. “Aw man. I forgot to say, those two cops? They’re -”

“Dead.” Dean nodded in the backseat, his grim face reflected in the rearview mirror. “I was conscious when he did that. Then he started trying to choke me, and turned  _ into me _ . Right in front of me. I was so shocked he knocked me right out.” He opened up his phone to dial 911, getting out of the truck at the same time. Before he did, he looked up at Sam. “Where you two going now?”

Sam and Gabriel looked at each other, and both of them shrugged. “Pick up another case somewhere, handle that. The usual,” Sam answered.

Dean chuckled. “Hunting monsters. The usual,” He shook his head. “Will I see you again soon? Or hear from you?”

“I’ll keep in touch, I promise.” Sam meant it. He had put Dean’s number back in his phone right when they made up. “If we’re in the area or passing through, we’ll let you know.”

Dean smiled. “Got it. See you then,” he reached up a hand to the truck window and Sam took it, giving it a firm squeeze before letting go. Dean waved one last time after he got in Baby, then drove off, back to Lawrence. 

Sam laid back in his seat and looked at Gabe, who was smiling.

“What’s got you all happy?” Sam asked.

“Just glad that douche is gone and we can finally be alone again,” Gabriel squeezed Sam’s thigh. Sam rolled his eyes.

“I don’t blame you for being mad at him still, after all you met me only when I was pissed at him, but he’s a good guy. He took care of me when my actual dad didn’t,” Sam said. How much convincing did Gabe need?

Gabriel just shrugged. “Okay. Whatever,” he smirked at Sam, “Why don’t we take tonight off? Go back to the hotel, get all spruced up, and go out for dinner tonight?”

Sam smiled. “Sounds like a date. How about 6?” 

“I’ll start googling restaurants now.”

  
  
  


A few hours later, and the two walked arm and arm into a fancy Italian restaurant. They hadn’t quite taken into account that Gabriel’s face still looked like he had fallen headfirst into a rockslide, and that Sam’s neck was still bruised in a way that could be mistaken for hickies. The waiters gave them strange looks before deciding money was money and leading them in. Despite all of that, Sam thought Gabriel looked dashing. He wore a shiny, deep navy shirt, sharply contrasting his eyes so they popped and lit up the room, tucked loosely into dark brown slacks that were cuffed to his ankles at the bottom, just above his black dress shoes. He hoped Gabriel thought the same of him, in his black button-up and dark wine colored pants. By the way he looked at Sam, the softest smile on his lips, Gabriel surely thought of him as fondly as Sam thought of Gabriel. 

They sat, ordered food, their eyes bigger than their stomachs as they assuredly touched the plethora of credit cards in their pockets. With the meals came the wine, a few glasses of the dry alcohol drunk between the two of them over the course of their meal. With each glass, Sam felt his breaths come easier, and his words come out more carelessly. Noticing the same with Gabriel, he realized both of them were getting drunk. Gabriel looked cute, with his rosey cheeks and dopey grin as he recalled stories that he only remembered now, in this state. Sam would snort when he laughed too loudly. Usually, he got grumpy when he was drunk, but Gabriel got so stupidly slow and happy that Sam couldn’t even think about being annoyed. How could he be?

When they left, the waiters seemed more than happy to see them off. Sam offered to drive, since out of the two of them he was the least buzzed (Gabriel had a lower tolerance than him), and Gabriel laid down in the back. They got back to the hotel without issue, though it took them a moment to find their room as they forgot the floor number and kept pressing the wrong buttons, giggling the whole time. They seemed more high than anything, just that their eyes weren’t bloodshot. Their movements were sloppy as they finally found their hotel room, a dent still in the wall where the shapeshifter had slammed Sam into it.

“Fuck, they’re not gonna be happy about that,” Gabriel murmured, looking at the cracked wall.

“Nope, they’re not,” Sam nodded, his head too loose on his neck. He went to the dent and felt the duvet beneath his fingers. When he turned back around, Gabriel’s arm shot out to the side of him. He looked up at Sam, a lazy grin on his face. With his other hand, he reached up to Sam’s neck and lightly caressed the yellow-edged bruises.

“They don’t hurt, do they?” Gabriel asked, pressing down on them slightly.

“When you do that, yeah,” Sam replied. Gabriel pouted, then reached up and kissed the bruises gently, making the hair on Sam’s neck stand up.

“Does that make it feel better?” Gabriel asked, pulling back just enough so he could flick his eyes up to Sam’s.

Heat burst through Sam’s cheeks, and it wasn’t the alcohol. Wordlessly, he nodded, and Gabriel’s pout faded into a gentle smirk. He undid the top buttons of Sam’s shirt so he could reach better, then peppered Sam’s bruises with kiss after kiss, Sam giggling at some points and Gabriel joining him. Usually, they weren’t like this - doing sloppy romantic shit - but now was not usually. Now was 10 at night after yesterday was the longest day of Sam’s life. Now was being loosened up by wine poured by waiters with rolling eyes. Now, and always, was Sam looking at Gabriel and falling in love with him all over again after each blink.

Sam put his hands on Gabriel’s shoulder, making his boyfriend take a couple steps back, before literally sweeping him off his feet and throwing him over his shoulder. Gabriel let out a yelp, then laughed. Sam walked over to the hotel bed and threw him down on it, his head hitting the pillow. In a moment, he was looming over Gabriel, and in the next his lips were on his. The bitterness of the wine still lingered, yet Sam swore he could still taste Gabriel’s same old sweetness through it. He wondered what Gabriel thought his lips tasted of. Were his sweet too, like vanilla frosting and chocolate toppings? Were they hot and warm, like they had just come from an oven? He didn’t know, but whatever Gabriel was tasting, he was ravenous for it.

The rest was a blur, a heavy, passionate blur. First his shirt was off. Then Gabriel’s was. And then…

  
  
  


They laid side by side in bed, under the covers, staring up at the ceiling as they drew long, slow breaths through their lungs. Total relaxation. What more could Sam ask for?

“Hey,” Gabriel said, and Sam rolled his head over to look at his smiling, round face. “I love you.” 

Sam almost hated those words. How could three simple words do so much to him? To make him blush and fidget and his eyes flicker away. Three words that made him melt when the right person said them. If magic were real, those three words would be the only spell able to take him down. And only someone as skilled with magic as Gabriel could use them in that perfect way.

“I love you too,” Sam murmured, now rolling onto his side and putting a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, letting it slip down slowly. Then he reached his head in the same way, touching his lips to Gabriel’s cheek, brushing his hair out of the way. He was warm to the touch, hot even, and for a moment Sam wondered if he had a fever before remembering the many other factors that would make him so hot, including the bruises still fresh on his face. That also made him remember his back. “Oh man,” Sam realized, “Is your back okay after that? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Sam’s brows furrowed in concern.

Gabriel laughed. “Your face looks cute all scrunched up like that,” he commented. “Sam, seriously, whatever Castiel did made me feel like a million - no, billion - bucks. He should consider being a doctor or something.”

Sam still looked worried. Gabriel never told him when he was in pain. “You sure?” He reached a hand around, just over Gabriel’s back to press lightly on the bandages. No reaction. He didn’t even try to swat Sam away.

When Sam was done testing, Gabriel took his hand in his and rubbed his thumb over his palm. Was it just Sam, or had Gabriel’s hands developed a roughness to them? “I’m fine, seriously. It’s nice you care so much though. My dad would always say to shake shit like that off. I think he thought we were actual archangels at some point,” Gabriel snorted and shook his head. “Crazy son of a bitch. Anyways, enough about him. Nothing’s more of a turn off than him.”

Another laugh from Sam. “Agreed. I’m glad we both hate our dads.” He held up an imaginary glass. “To hating our dads.”

Gabriel held up his own. “To hating our dads, and loving each other.” They clinked their glasses, pretended to take a sip, and threw the glasses over their shoulders. They smiled, laughing at each other, until their laughter trailed off into the encapsulating silence of sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all about to be real mad at me...

Another day, another hunt.

It had been about three weeks since the run in with the shapeshifter, and they had been the best three weeks in a while. Him and Dean were calling every once in a while, just to make sure neither of them had died while on the job, and Dean watched his mouth when it came to their dad. Sam was in one of the best relationships of his life with Gabriel, always feeling he could trust him, and Gabriel feeling the same towards Sam. They were on a roll with hunting, and while it was a horrifying, life-threatening job, they were making quick work of the monsters. The continuous grind was beyond satisfying. Even in between hunts, Gabriel and Sam always made sure they had time for dates. Usually Gabriel would come up with ideas for what to do, since he was inexplicably good at coming up with fun, romantic dates, though Sam would of course say his own ideas too. Everything felt like it was falling into place. 

Right now, it was well into the night, and the two of them were sitting at the round table in their hotel room, each clicking away on their laptops while Gabriel played some music on Spotify. He had a very interesting taste in music, to say the least. It seemed to be all over the place, and hard to put under a definitive genre, the songs often electronic with strange yet surprisingly good lyrics. There was this one song called “Two Time” that pretty much summed up Gabriel’s music taste. Sam liked it, though it clashed with his usual list of country and classic rock.

“Boom!” Gabriel slammed his fist on the table, making Sam jump a mile. This was something they started doing recently - trying to see who would be the first to narrow down what monster they were hunting. Sam still hadn’t gotten used to Gabriel declaring his victory so loudly. He grinned triumphantly at Sam and turned his laptop around so it faced him. Sam read the information, yet Gabriel summarized anyways.

“It’s this thing called an Arachne, like Spiderman gone bad. According to this, they’re super rare, but they can reproduce fast. They can pass as human, create hella strong webs, and are super venomous. It explains all the webs in the victims basement, and the puncture wounds on his neck.” Gabriel put his feet up on the table and leaned back on the chair. “Another case solved by hunters Sam and Gabriel Winchester.”

Sam looked up from the article in surprise. “Gabriel Winchester?” He repeated.

A blush bloomed across Gabriel’s cheeks. “I just slipped up, Novak, I meant Novak,” he insisted. When Sam raised an eyebrow, Gabriel looked down and muttered. “I was thinking...about how it would sound.”

Sam grinned. “Yeah? What about Sam Novak though? I think that has a nice ring to it too.”

Gabriel’s face grew redder, and Sam could feel the same heat in his own face. “Do you want a nice ring? I was thinking a couple ring pops would suffice, if I’ll be honest.”

“You know the rules, three months salary  _ at least _ .”

“We’re hunters, what is our salary?”

Sam thought for a moment. “Well, it’s more like we’re paying for the lives of others with potentially our own so…” He looked into Gabriel’s sly golden eyes, “Priceless. For you, it would be priceless.”

Gabriel pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead and let out a sigh of relief. “Phew, so I can just get a ring for free? I was thinking of just making one from a soda can tab.”

Sam laughed. “Come on, I was trying to have a moment with you.”

“And I’m trying to save money. You’ll probably lose it anyways.”

“Says the guy who lost me in the parking lot. When I’m 6 foot 4.”

Gabriel pointed defensively. “It was dark in that parking lot, and we had just been in  _ IKEA _ looking for that witness for hours. I was disoriented.” 

“And full of meatballs.”

“And full of sweet, sweet meatballs,” Gabriel repeated in agreement, nodding dreamily at the thought of the meatballs.

Sam shook his head. They were getting way off topic. “Alright, since you’re the expert, how do you kill an Arachne?” He asked, leaning forward.

“Decapitation. That’s the only way, but it should be easy enough,”

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, that’s fine. And based on where all of the attacks took place,” He opened his own laptop back up and turned it to Gabriel, showing a map he had marked each crime scene on and connected them to the center they ringed, right to an abandoned warehouse. “How did the police miss this? Honestly, they’re so dumb sometimes.”

“Yeah, I think they’re just corrupt though.”

Sam thought of Bobby letting him and Gabriel go, as well as Officer Davies covering for Leandro. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” He stood and stretched, tired of sitting for so long. “Should we go now?” He asked. It was only 11 at night, which was pretty early for a hunter on a case. Gabriel still hated that they got up so early, considering how much he liked staying up so late. For him, every morning was a struggle. His eyes were squinted, grumpy face covered by his floppy golden hair and the light shadow of a beard that he swore to never grow out, which Sam was fine with. Though he had to admit, he was curious as to how a beard would look on Gabriel’s round face. How it would feel…

Gabriel glanced at his watch. “I guess we could, I’m not even that tired, and it should be an in-and-out job.” He stood up straight, confidently, “What do you say, Samsquatch?”

“Samsquatch” chuckled. “Sounds good to me. Let’s kill this thing before it bursts into a ton of tiny babies.”

Gabriel fake gagged. “Ugh, don’t even make me think of that,” He walked away, reaching to put on his dark brown jacket hanging up on a hook. Sam watched his back, the way his muscles moved under his dusty army green t-shirt, for only a brief moment before he slipped the jacket on. Then he looked at his arm muscles, again for a fleeting second before he looked away, heat creeping into his chest. He grabbed his own orange jacket, throwing it on over a plaid shirt of dark, thick red-brown stripes. He slipped his hand in Gabriel’s, and Gabriel slipped his own into Sam’s, as they walked out of the hotel room to the parking lot.

  
  
  


Machetes strapped to their sides, and still holding hands, they drove to the abandoned warehouse. From what Sam knew, it used to hold clothing shipments, until the company went out of business about two or three decades ago. When they walked in, after thoroughly checking the open entrance, the warehouse definitely reflected this, with scattered bits of rotting cloth and forgotten or lost shipments thrown into piles. Sam pointed his flashlight around, the beam catching glistening strands of large webs in some places. It wasn’t an overwhelming amount though, which led Sam to believe perhaps the Arachne was on the second floor, where all the offices were. He nodded to the stairs, and Gabriel nodded back. The two crept up them carefully, ready to attack at any moment. Now up here, the spiderwebs were slightly more prevalent, leading to what looked to have been a large meeting room at the back of the building. Despite there being a long glass window into the room, it was pitch dark. Sam took the lead, putting his ear up to the single door. Silence. He shared a glance with Gabe, before slowly turning the door knob and entering the room.

It was covered, floor to ceiling, in sticky cobwebs that hindered Sam’s movement. He did a quick sweep with his flashlight. Nothing. Confused, he let his guard down a moment. Gabriel came in next to him. “You don’t think they’re out attacking someone right now, do you?” Gabriel asked, looking around.

“God I hope not,” Sam scratched the back of his head. “If they are, we should wait for them to return. Surprise them.”

“Yeah, good old sneak attack. Not to flex, but I’m a master at hide and seek, so this should be a breeze,” Gabriel walked further into the room, annoyedly shaking the webs from his boots every couple of steps. Sam was still concerned. Something was fishy.

In a blur of motion, a body dropped from the ceiling, right on top of Gabriel.

Gabriel yelled as the body, thankfully and not so thankfully not a corpse, tried to pin him down. The Arachne bared his fangs at Gabriel, stopped in his attack as Sam kicked him off like a football. The Arachne tumbled, then got to his feet, making a spitting noise. Gabriel scrambled up, eyes wide. “Normally I’m fine with being on the bottom, but Jesus -”

“Not now Gabe!” Sam snapped. He loved Gabriel’s quips usually, but that had been one hell of a close call.

Sam gasped as he was taken from behind, the bony round of a shoulder slamming into his back. Just barely catching himself, he whipped around, face to face with another male Arachne. Of course there was two, why was there always two? “I got this one!” He shouted to Gabriel, flipping his machete in his hand before charging the Arachne.

Spindly fingers wrapped around Sam’s wrist, stopping him as he tried to swing at the Arachne’s neck. Not daring to get close to those fangs, Sam yanked back instead of continuing to push forward, choosing instead to swing his machete in long, wide arcs instead of short, precise ones. The Arachne spat, his unnaturally white eyes wide as he leapt backwards from the blade. The two of them got into a defensive stance, waiting for the other to make the first move. Impatient, the Arachne moved forward, head low so his neck was protected. Sam whacked him to the side with his machete like it was a baseball bat, throwing the monster to the ground a good five feet away. Sam practically leapt over to it, slamming his foot against it’s chest and finally severing it’s head. The relief of killing one did not last long, as the shatter of glass finally brought Sam’s gaze back to Gabriel, just in time to see his boyfriend get thrown through the window, followed by the first Arachne leaping after him. Sam dashed over, placing one foot on the ledge and jumping out. The Arachne was on top of Gabriel, and Gabriel’s hands pushed on his chest to keep him away. Gabriel drew his leg in then stuck it back out so it was on the outside of the Arachne’s leg, then used it to help him roll over, placing him on top of the Arachne. Gabriel’s machete had flown from his grasp when he had been thrown. “Sam! Come get him!” He shouted. And Sam was going to. But then the roles switched again, and instead of keeping Gabriel on the ground, the Arachne grabbed him by the collar and dragged him up from underneath him as he stood. Gabriel stretched his neck high as the Arachne held him tight to his chest, grinning.

“Come near me, and we fall,” The monster hissed. They were dangerously close to the edge of the opened up second floor, which was a long fall down to the concrete first floor. Sam looked down, swallowing hard, then looked at Gabriel. He didn’t look scared at all.

“Don’t worry about me Sam, this fucker can’t hold onto me if he’s dead,” A cocky grin spread on Gabriel’s lips, grinning at the Arachne before looking back at Sam. “Kill this son of a bitch.”

Sam still looked unsure, but they didn’t have time to stand around like this. He took quick steps forward and, not wanting to accidently cut Gabriel’s neck too as they were level, only cut about one-third of a way into the Arachne’s neck. The Arachne let out a choked sound and wavered backwards, grabbing onto Gabriel’s arm to try to keep himself up. Feet slipping, the Arachne fell.

But he sunk his fangs into Gabriel’s arm on the way down.

Gabriel let out an agonized yell as the Arachne bit into his skin, ripping off a chunk of flesh as it fell to the ground, head popping off the rest of the way on impact. Sam grabbed Gabriel by the arm and pulled him up before he could fall too, yanking him so hard that Sam fell to the ground, Gabriel in his arms. Gabriel pulled his face from Sam’s chest, forehead wrinkled in pain as he leaned back against Sam’s arm. He lifted his own, blood running from the chunk missing from his bicep. The blood was tinted, darker and flowing slower than it should be. It was clotting. There was no doubt that Gabriel had just been poisoned. “Fuck,” Gabriel breathed, closing his eyes and leaning back. Sam’s heart dropped. He put his right arm under Gabriel, reaching his hand up to put pressure on the wound.

“Okay, okay, it’s gonna be fine, we just gotta get you to the hospital,” Sam said, moreso to himself than Gabriel. He stood, carrying Gabriel in his arms.

Gabriel laughed. “Don’t get too worried, Samshine. We’re hunters, we’re invincible. I’ll be fine. You’ll be fine,” he sounded so self-assured, so confident. It made Sam  _ feel  _ confident. Sam nodded to himself.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying, we’ll be fine. Hang in there,” Sam walked as fast as he could with Gabriel in his arms, down the stairs and out the door into the cool night air. He put Gabriel into the passenger's seat, then got into the drivers. He was fine. Everything would be fine, they just had to go to the hospital. Why were his hands shaking so bad? He couldn’t even get the damn key into the slot the first time. “Just keep talking Gabe, stay awake,” Sam said. 

Gabriel nodded, “Yeah, yeah I will,” he said. There was a moment of silence before he actually started though, as they pulled out onto the road. Everything seemed to drown out except for Gabriel’s voice. Headlights flashed through the windows, casting them in and out of shadows. “You know why I think we loved each other from the start Sam? How we - I mean at least I - never felt the way I feel with you with anyone else? I think we both saw each other and went “Life’s fucked him over”. You know what I mean? I mean, it fucked you over more recently then, like you were fucked your whole life but right then it was so obvious. And I feel like mine was - is - this slower one. You got screwed over in short bursts but mine was a slow burn. Like a candle. Just melting slowly, slowly, slowly burning me. Just kind of lingering there. And I think you saw that too, right?” Gabriel didn’t wait for an answer. He was rambling, his words beginning to slur. Sam pushed the gas pedal further down.

“Yeah, I think I did,” He answered. Gabriel nodded, continuing.

“I think we both thought, “Hey, we’re both fucked, why don’t we continue to get fucked together?” In our own way, by having fun and trying to deal with it, and ignore the dripping wax and the bursts and -” His throat caught and he had to clear it. “What I’m trying to say is, I think maybe that I thought we should be hunters so if we were going down, we could go down together, you know? And we could be just...together. Cause I love being with you so Goddamn much,” Tears were starting to roll down Gabriel’s cheeks, “And I thought we would go down together, but here we are.”

“What are you saying?” Gabriel was just rambling on and on, incoherently. “Gabriel, we’re together, I’m fine, you’re fine, we’re fine and we’re together.”

Gabriel shook his head, chuckling a little. He was getting so much of his thick, viscous blood on the seat. “I love you so much Sam, you know that?” He said, “I’m glad we got to work out all our kinks together. We’re not perfect still, but I’m glad I met you, and you met me, and we fixed each other up a little, you know? I’m glad. I’m really glad,” He smiled. He was turning pale. Sam swore he could see the venom rushing through his veins. Why was the hospital so Goddamn far? Why were the streets so busy? He pushed the truck faster. 

“I love you too Gabe, but stop talking like you’re going to die. You’re going to be fine!” Sam snapped.

Gabriel rolled his head over to look at Sam, a soft frown on his lips. “I hope you’ll be okay, Sam.”

His eyes closed.

Sam looked at him, head snapping between the road and him. “Gabe? Gabriel?” He took one hand off the wheel and shook his shoulder. He couldn’t feel any air coming from his mouth. Sam’s heart stopped, and his full gaze turned to Gabriel. “Gabe? GABRIEL!” He cried out.

There was the screech of tires.

Impact.

A throbbing pain in Sam’s head.

Darkness.


	19. Chapter 19

Usually in movies, when there was a death or a funeral, it was raining, or at the very least cloudy. Like nature itself was paying it’s respects to its child. This wasn’t a movie. It was a beautiful day outside, especially considering winter was upon them. The sun was setting early. The light, shining close to earth, illuminated the leaves so they looked like they were amber shards under a geologists lamp. The only color not lost in the sea of fire was the freshly filled grave, and the white flowers Sam had placed on top of it.

He stood there, hands in his pocket, staring at the name on the tombstone: Gabriel Novak. He thought of that night. He thought of how they got the name wrong. It should be Gabriel Winchester. It was the same thing he thought of when he woke up in the hospital, with half of his head shaved and stitches maring the side. What he kept thinking as the doctors told him what happened, that he’d been out for a day. That Gabriel was in one of those cold slots he used to drag other bodies out of. Sam hated himself for letting Gabriel get shoved into one of those.

Dragging himself from those thoughts, he touched the side of his head self-consciously. His hair had started to grow back, and Dean tried to lighten the mood by saying he was like Rapunzel. He hoped he was right. Every time Sam went to drive, he looked in the mirror at that ugly gash and his heart would start to pound, the way it did when he had driven behind the hearse to the funeral, the one he insisted be in Gillette, Wyoming, where Gabriel lived. Where they had met.

Sam looked up as Dean put his arm around his shoulders. His big brother looked up at him, eyes solemn. “You want to go get a drink man?” He asked. Sam shook his head. 

“I just want some time...alone. Thanks for coming Dean,” Sam murmured, looking back at the grave. Dean’s arm lingered for a moment before he let it slide down Sam’s back.

“Okay...just call me when you get back to your room, okay?” His voice was laced with concern.

Sam nodded. “I will.”

Again, Dean stood for a second before reluctantly turning and leaving. The rumble of the Impala could be heard from the Church parking lot as he drove away, and then Sam knew he was alone. Utterly alone.

He sat in front of the grave, head bowed, and it felt weird the left half of his hair wasn’t coming down to smack him in the face. He wondered what Gabriel would have said about how he looked. “Damn Sam, did you get thrown under a lawnmower?” Sam smirked. That’s exactly what he would have said. Only when his tears left wet patches on the ground did he realize he was crying.

Cast into the shadow of the church as it blocked the sun, Sam finally dragged himself back onto his feet. He didn’t know what else to do, what else to say, when Gabriel wasn’t even listening. At least he hoped he wasn’t. Thinking of the fates of the ghosts they had encountered made Sam’s stomach twist.

Luckily, he didn’t have much time to contemplate it, as a hand grabbed his shoulder.

Sam jumped and spun around, freeing himself of the touch and jabbing the stranger in the side. They gasped, grabbing their ribs, and Sam took the chance to smash his fist into his face. The stranger stumbled to the side, blood bursting from their lip, and then and only then did Sam realize this was no stranger - it was Leandro. The reason Sam didn’t recognize him was because he had on a suit instead of his torn up country clothes. The hunter swore under his breath, touching his lip as he looked back up at Sam.

“Leandro?” Sam asked, confused for a moment, before remembering the terms they left on. His fist tightened. “You better get the hell out of here -”

“Woah woah woah!” Leandro put his open hands forward calmly. “I’m not here to fight Sam, or hit on you. What kind of an ass would I be to do that…” His eyes travelled behind Sam, to the grave, “...here.” Sorrow reflected in Leandro’s eyes, and it made Sam wonder if the pain of losing people ever left.

Sam shook his head. “I don’t care what you came here to do, I want you to get away before I beat your ass.”

Leandro took a step back. “Please Sam, just listen. I know what I did was wrong, I know it was, boy do I know,” Regret replaced the sorrow, “And when I heard what happened I - I wanted to tell you…” He trailed off, glancing away, like deciding if he should say what was on his mind.

“You have five seconds -”

“There’s a way to get Gabriel back.”

Sam looked at Leandro, expression unchanging. “You really are just an asshole, huh? I know a lot of things I thought were myths are real, but there’s no way -”

“I’m not lying to you!” Leandro interrupted, “I promise! There’s a way to get him back, at least for a while.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sam knew that magic was real, after he and Gabriel had hunter a particularly irritating witch. Was Leandro talking about necromancy?

Leandro licked his lips. He looked Sam dead in the eyes. “How badly do you want him back?”

“More than you could imagine.”

“Bad enough to lose your life? Your soul? Your chance at getting into Heaven?”

Sam took a moment to ponder those terms. A fleeting moment. “Anything. I’d lose anything for him.”

Leandro bit his lip, and took a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to Sam. As he scanned the writing, Leandro launched in a speech. “There’s this...deal you could make, with a demon. You go to a crossroads, bury a few things, and viola, you’ve summoned a crossroads demon. They’ll grant you anything you ask for, as long as they can take your life in ten years and torture you in the afterlife.” He explained, then quickly added, “But Sam, I’ve seen a lot of good hunters meet this fate and it’s...it’s really not worth it, not in my opinion at least. I thought you should at least know you have the option, but I don’t think you should -”

“So I get to live ten more years with Gabriel?” Sam looked up from the paper.

Leandro had to pause a moment to recover from the reaction. “Yes, but Sam -”

Sam held up his hand, looking back down at the paper. Ten more years. A whole decade. That could be enough to live a whole life with Gabriel. To get married. To live the life they deserved together, at least for a while. 

Just for a while.

He put the paper in his pocket and looked up at Leandro, who seemed to immediately regret his decision. “Thank you, Leandro.” He held out his hand. Hesitantly, Leandro took it, giving it a single, firm shake.

“Good luck Sam.” Leandro murmured, let go, and walked away. When he disappeared, Sam reached down and took a handful of dirt, glancing back at Gabriel’s grave, a feeling of determination swelling in his chest, before leaving.

 

It was the dead of night, milky moonlight bathing the scene in an ethereal manner. An empty dirt intersection, surrounded by tall grass that was still for there was no breeze. The Winchester walked into the middle, the center of the wagon wheel. All he had to do now was turn the axel. Pulling the little box from his coat one last time, he double-checked everything was in there. The graveyard dirt, a (bad) picture of him, and the bone of a black cat. It had taken him a bit to find that last part, but ultimately he had found it on Craigslist. Why he was surprised, he didn’t know. The stories around that site were spine-chilling.

Taking a deep breath of the cool autumnal air, he crouched down, digging a shallow hole with his hands, just big enough for the box. He piled it back in, then stood, waiting for something to happen. Was there supposed to be a flash of light? A puff of smoke? For a moment, he worried that the bone had been fake. That was until he heard someone clear their throat. Turning, there was the figure of a tall woman. Skin as pale as the moonlight, ebony hair cut to just past her shoulders so she could sweep it to one side, and an oversized black blouse tucked loosely into black jeans. She smiled sweetly, brown eyes gleaming as she stepped forward.

“Sam Winchester,” His name left her mouth in a breath, like she had just finished a refreshing drink. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Her sweet smile stayed as her eyes disappeared, leaving red puddles of tar in their place. Instead of looking him in the eyes, they flickered up around his body, and though the solid scleras were hard to read, her lips pursed in intrigue. 

“You’re a demon,” Sam stated, not sure what else to say, as she just kept looking at his body. Seeming to remember she was in a conversation, her eyes looked back up to him. Bracelets jangling together, she reach a hand up and put it on his shoulder. His neck hairs raised and his muscles tensed, to which her smile grew even sweeter.

“That I am,” She practically purred. “The first demon you’ve encounter, I take? I hope I make a good first impression,” She took her hand away and held it out for a handshake, which Sam thought they were far past at this point, but he took it. “My name is Kierra.”

“My name’s -” Forgetting she already knew his name, Sam stopped, and Kierra chuckled.

“Don’t be so nervous Samuel. I’m not going to kill you. Well, not technically,” The demon glanced away as she added that last part, then looked back at Sam. 

“I’m not, I just can’t tell if you’re coming onto me or -”

“Oh no of course not, not like that,” Kierra laughed at the very idea, and Sam wondered why she was laughing so hard, “You seem like a logical man. It just helps warm people up to the fact that we have to kiss to seal the deal.”

Sam narrowed his eyes. Leandro hadn’t said anything about that. He shifted his foot, and she noticed. 

“And this makes you uncomfortable because you’re here about a lover, yes?” Kierra posed, a knowing look on her face.

“How did you guess?”

The vermillion coat over Kierra’s eyes faded, replaced by an equally thick blanket of old sorrow. “It takes one to know one.”

A stray breeze blew Kierra’s hair in front of her face, and she swept it behind her ear, taking a step back. “So, what is it?” She moved on to business, “A rough patch you want to get through? You think they’re cheating?”

“No I - He died a few days ago. I want to bring him back.”

Kierra gave a slight nod. “Who is he?”

“Gabriel Novak,” Sam had to catch himself before he said Winchester.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Kierra gave another nod. “Ah, yes, that’s easy enough.”

Sam stifled a smile. “So as I understand it, I have ten years before I die, right?”

Kierra opened her eyes, once again as crimson as a summer sunset. She didn’t answer right away. Just looked him up and down again, a silence beginning to stretch between them. “Well...that’s the usual deal, but…” Again, she moved closer. Lifting his right arm straight out, she traced his muscles with her fingers. Heat rose in Sam’s cheeks, and he hated it. “I think there’s a way this can benefit both of us. Now, I shouldn’t be indulging these matters to a human, but I hope you find sympathy in my cause. The leader of Crossroads Demons like me, the Crossroads King, was killed not too long ago. We’re trying to go about our business, but it’s hard when we’re constantly vying to take his place and murdering each other.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Sam wasn’t following. Kierra looked up at him.

“You’re strong, not just in you physicality, in your very being. Your molecules, your atoms, your structure, it just radiates with this...strength,” Her red eyes disappeared behind her lids once more, forehead wrinkling. “It’s...hard to place,” She opened them back up, back to their natural shade of brown. “My point is, you’re a very rare vessel - we demons need to possess a human, if you didn’t know that. If I could possess you, at least when I’m fighting another demon, I could secure my place on the throne.”

Dread clawed at Sam’s stomach. “What would possessing me entail?” He asked.

“Oh, it wouldn’t have to be permanent. Just that every once in awhile I could fight my battles up here, slip into your pretty body, and do what I must. You wouldn’t feel anything, when I’m in control you won’t remember it, but when I’m done fighting I’ll leave you back where I got you.”

Sam hadn’t been expecting the offer, so he didn’t have anything prepared in response. He had been so ready to say yes, but now, in the moment, he doubted himself. Why did he? He would live for as long as he could, he wouldn’t go to hell, at least not now, and most importantly he’d have Gabriel back. This was better than the first deal, wasn’t it?

“You’ll leave as soon as you’re done with your fights?” Sam repeated. Kierra nodded.

“Crossroads demons are bound to their contracts just as much as their clients are. You have my word.”

“Then it’s a deal.”

Kierra smiled in satisfaction, the sweetness gone. “I look forward to doing business with you, Sam.” She reached up on her tiptoes, and regretfully Sam closed the gap between their lips, making the kiss as brief as he could before pulling away. When he did, she had already disappeared, leaving Sam to look around. How would he know it worked?

Then he realized Gabriel was still six feet under.

Dirt flew into the air as Sam ran to his car, slamming on the gas as he sped off back to the graveyard, which he wasn’t too far from. Combined with his fast speed, he made it there in a few minutes flat. Grabbing the shovel from his truck, which he had bought with him in case the dirt at the intersection was too hard, he raced to Gabriel’s grave, and began to dig quickly. He didn’t even start with the whole grave at first, just the section where Gabriel’s head would be. Time passed, and his shovel hit wood. “Gabriel?” He asked, voice raised. No response. Sam’s heart pounded. What if he had died again from suffocation, and Sam had done this for nothing? He spent hours, dreadful, dreadful hours, digging up the rest of the coffin. He shoved the tip of his shovel under the lid and pried it open. His chest was heaving, but his breath caught in his throat at the sight of Gabriel. He looked so handsome, the light shining in his ever-perfect hair. But his face, it was unnaturally still. Gabriel’s face had never been still. It always had crinkles in the corners of his eyes or dimples in his cheeks. It had never looked as smooth as it did now. Sam tossed his shovel over his shoulder. Something told him this was right. That everything was going according to plan. So, he scooped up Gabriel’s body, laying limply in his arms, and gently lifted him onto the surface before clambering up next to him.

“Gabriel?” Sam asked again. He tucked his feet beneath his thighs, kneeling, and bought Gabriel’s head into his lap. Silence. Nothing but the distant flap of bat wings and the muted hoot of an owl. Fear gripped Sam.

Abruptly, Gabriel shot up with a gasp. He started coughing, eyes wide and body shuddering. Sam leaned over him and put and arm around his hunched shoulders. Once his fit stopped, Gabriel looked around in confusion, then at Sam, eyebrows furrowed.

“What happened?” He looked down, “And why am I in a monkey suit?”

Sam smiled so wide his cheeks hurt. He couldn’t even respond, tears choking him as he crushed Gabriel in a hug, and began to sob. Gabriel’s arms took a moment to find their place around Sam, rubbing his back in gentle, circular motions.

“Woah, woah, it’s okay, hey,” Gabriel laughed lightly, “Whatever happened, it’s okay now Samshine, relax. You’re gonna dehydrate yourself.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, you’re right, it is okay now,” He choked out, still crying hysterically. “You’re okay now.”

They were okay.

They would be okay.

Just for a while.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things;  
> 1\. This chapter is from Gabriel's POV.  
> 2\. Sorry that it's kind of short, I was going to make it a bit longer but I decided to split it into two chapters as the POV switched. You'll see what I mean soon ;^). Enjoy!

Discussing what had just happened in a silent diner at three in the morning didn’t seem like a particularly smart idea to Gabriel, but he was starving and Sam was keeping his voice low as he explained what Gabriel couldn’t remember - that he had died. It made Gabriel pause in the middle of chewing his sandwich. He swallowed, put it down, as the last moments he could recall popped up. Everything was in a dark, hazy blur as tears filled his eyes. The last thing he made out was Sam’s profile, eyes glancing towards Gabriel worriedly, before reality dropped from Gabriel’s grasp. Then the feeling came back, of the venom ripping through him, burning him from the inside out. His stomach churned, and he pushed the sandwich away, suddenly not hungry anymore. Trying to distract himself, he noted to interior - the bright fluorescent tube lights in the ceiling over an off-white diner, with berry-red leather stools on the counter and square tables spread across the marble-tiled floor. He looked back up at Sam. 

“How long was I…?” He didn’t want to finish.

“A few days,” Sam answered, glancing down into his cup of coffee. “After you died, I was too distracted and I got in an accident. Which is why I have this new haircut,” He pointed to the left side of his head, the hair just beginning to grow back from a close shave, over a long scar.  He gave a weak smile that fell away as soon as it had appeared. It made Gabriel sad to see his hair like that. Sam’s hair was silky, and he loved running his hands through it, roughing it up so it had a break from it’s naturally perfect state. At least it was growing back. 

“The doctor said I was unconscious for a day, and told me you were…” He trailed off. Neither of them wanted to say  _ it _ . “I didn’t know what else to do so...I had a funeral for you. And we buried you. That’s when…” Again, Sam’s voice disappeared and he looked up at Gabriel. Behind his eyes, Gabriel could see he was searching for the right words.

“When what?” Gabriel prodded. 

Sam readjusted his posture. “I found a ritual to bring you back. It was surprisingly easy, really, didn’t take much,” he shrugged and smiled, “Honestly, I don’t know why more people don’t do it. There wasn’t even a catch or anything.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Really? That seems too...easy.”

Sam shrugged again and chuckled. “I know right?I think I stumbled on, like, a rare ritual or something on accident. Lucky break right?”

“Yeah...But if TV has taught me anything, there’s always a string attached, isn’t there? I mean, you’re sure there’s nothing else going on?”

Sam’s gaze flickered to the window, like he was sharing a glance with his own reflection for a beat before it returned to Gabriel. “Positive. You feel alright, don’t you?”

“Compared to being six feet under? I feel pretty great Samshine,” Gabriel smiled. This all still felt too easy, but what did he know? Maybe they really did hit a lucky break. And Sam wouldn’t lie to him. Sam smiled back, as bright as the fluorescent lights above them and the freshly mopped floors. Jesus, he was filthy though. Sam was still covered in dirt and sweat from digging him up. Gabriel looked at the ticking clock on the wall, the only sound save for the soft music the employees were playing in the back. “Why don’t we get out of here, get you cleaned up?”

Sam looked down at himself, like just realizing how dirty he was. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Yeah, I look like I just got dragged behind a car, huh?” 

“I was going to say more like you rolled down into the pit from  _ Parks and Recreation _ , but that works too,” Gabriel grinned. Sam left money on the table and the two walked out together, hand in hand.

  
  


Having never put the house up for sale, Gabriel got hit with nostalgia as they pulled up to his old place, taking in the scene. The grass was overgrown, but everything else looked the same. After searching a bit for his keys, Gabriel opened the door. The only difference between how it looked now and how they had left it was that a layer of dust coated every surface. He smiled, finding himself missing having a place to call his own. He suspected Sam felt the same, as he put an arm around Gabriel, smiling a bittersweet smile. Gabriel flipped the lights on, and they flickered a moment before stabilizing. It felt foreign to walk into his home after being away for so long, like he was entering a stranger's house. Nevertheless, he shook himself back to his senses, and led Sam to the bathroom, turning on the faucet to nice, hot water.

“Thanks Gabe,” Sam said, expecting Gabriel to leave. But then a flash montage of cheesy romantic scenes flashed through Gabriel’s head, making him grin.

“Don’t you need help? It’s a pain to reach around to your back, isn’t it?” Gabriel asked, still grinning. Sam looked at him, confused for a moment, before he got the idea.

“You know what, you’re right,” Sam turned to Gabriel as he began to take his shirt off, Gabriel following suit. The only thing they left on were their boxers, both agreeing that  _ that _ idea didn’t appeal to either of them right now. Sam got in first, knees bent at an acute angle as his legs were far too long for this tub, and Gabriel got in behind him, his legs around Sam’s body. The water was hot to the touch, but not too hot to where it didn’t feel good. It felt amazing. Citrus body wash pleased Gabriel’s nose, and frothy bubbles clung to their bodies.

Sam grabbed the body wash, but all Gabriel could think about was Sam’s hair, as he looked sadly at the shaved part. He cupped water in his hand and splashed it over Sam’s head, making Sam jump in surprise, then laugh. Gabriel smiled warmly, and did this a few more times before having Sam pass him the coconut-scented shampoo. He rubbed it into Sam’s hair, feeling the silky strands in between his fingers. Sam leaned against Gabriel as he did, closing his eyes sleepily. In that moment, he looked so tired. Bags hung beneath his eyes that he couldn’t keep open any longer. He took a long, slow breath, and sighed contently, letting Gabriel take over and scrub him clean of his filth. 

“Don’t fall asleep on me, I can’t lift a moose by myself,” Gabriel teased.

“Sorry,” Sam yawned as he said this, “It’s been a long few days.”

Gabriel pouted a little. Sam must of sensed he had made him feel bad, as his hand floated over and touched Gabriel’s thigh. He blushed, and kept scrubbing Sam’s hair as his head rested on his chest. It was a struggle for him to keep awake to at this point too. He closed his eyes as he continued to rub Sam’s hair for far longer than he needed to, just enjoying the hypnotic motion.

“Do you remember what it felt like?” Sam asked suddenly. “Being dead?”

Even with his eyes closed, he narrowed them by squeezing them tighter together. “No. Not at all. I just remember talking to you in the truck, and then waking up in your arms,” he said. What happened in between those two moments was eluded him. It was like someone jumped between scenes on a DVD.

“So you don’t know…” Sam was grasping for the right words again, dancing around something, “Where you were?”

Gabriel stopped a moment and opened his eyes, looking down at Sam. His hazel eyes looked back, worried, downcast. He didn’t look back up at Gabriel as he clarified. “Like was it Heaven or…?”

“No, like I said I don’t remember,” Gabriel repeated. Did Sam just ask if he went to Heaven or Hell? What kind of a question was that? “What’s going on Sam? What’s wrong?”

Sam closed his eyes and shook his head. “Nothing. Like I said, I’m just tired.”

Gabriel didn’t believe that shit at all. Sam was a morning person. No matter what time he went to sleep, he woke up bright and early, already energized. On the other hand, Sam had to pull Gabriel to get out of bed. Even when he was tired, he never acted like...this. Had Gabriel being gone those few days affected him this much, he wondered?

“That’s bullshit,” Gabriel said bluntly, “What’s the matter?”

Sam glanced up at Gabriel, a weary smile on his lips. “Nothing, nothing, I was just curious is all. Don’t worry about me.” Turning sideways in Gabriel’s arms, he reached a hand up and cupped Gabriel’s face, kissing him. Gabriel took away a warm, tangy taste, and feeling the miniscule diviets where his skin was chalped. He always got on Sam about using lip balm. He never did. Gabriel gave a “ha” that was more of a breath than a laugh. 

“If you say so,” Gabriel sighed. He went back to rubbing the shampoo into Sam’s roots, both of them closing their eyes once again. Before he knew it, they were both asleep, Sam leaning into Gabriel’s arms.

  
  


_ Hot sand smoothed rubbery skin on the bottom of his feet as he looked out across the clear, bright, cove water, surrounded by flourishing trees. A deep breath full of moist summer air filled his lungs, and he exhaled, giving back to the nature he took in the beauty of. A man’s arm draped around his shoulders, and he didn’t have to look at him to know who it was, but he did anyways because he loved to look at him. His shining long hair, the little mole on his nose, and his hazel eyes shining as bright as the water. In this light, he looked so young, like the stress had never laid it’s dirty hands on him. _

_ Gabriel leaned into Sam, trading the fresh nature air for his refined moose musk. “I love you Samshine,” he murmured, reaching a hand over and taking Sam’s, the one with the gleaming golden ring on it. He held it up, and as Sam turned to looked at Gabriel he noticed the ring matched the center of the colors sprawling in his eyes. _

_ “I love you too,” Sam’s voice came gently. His lips reached down, finding their resting place on Gabriel’s, lingering for a long, slow moment, before pulling away. As usual, they left behind their tangy scent. _

_ Everything was perfect. _

_ Then everything stopped. Literally. Sam froze mid-blink, an odd look on his face like a smear frame. The water stopped rippling gently. Even the heat of the sand disappeared, shooting a shiver up Gabriel’s spine. He looked around, confused, heart beginning to pick up it’s pace in preparation for whatever this pause was foreshadowing. _

_ “Gabriel Novak,” An unfamiliar voice breathed, and he jumped, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. A woman who really needed to go to a tanning booth stood there, crimson eyes flickering down to his chest, looking at something he couldn’t perceive. _

_ “Who are you?” Gabriel asked, fists curled, ready to defend himself. _

_ The woman didn’t respond at first. She just gave a sweet smile, and walked up to him. “Sam Winchester will tell you.” Her hand found its place on his shoulder. _

_ Everything disappeared. _

  
  


When Gabriel woke up, he was alone and shivering in bath water. He stood, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around him as he discarded of his soaked boxers. “Hey, way to leave me hanging Sam!” Gabriel called out of the open bathroom door. He walked out and looked around after getting no response. As he looked out the window, it was bright out, so it must have been at least noon. Had he really been asleep in the bath for nine hours? Why hadn’t Sam woken him up? “Where are you Samsquatch?” Gabriel called through the house again. No answer. Brows furrowed in confusion, he walked across the living room and peered into his bedroom. No Sam there either. Nor was there a note on the counter, or any missed text messages on his phone. He called Sam, leaning against the wall as he waited for the ringing to end. All it got him to was Sam’s voicemail. Worry beginning to climb up into his throat, Gabriel left a message. “Hey Sam, where’d you go, leaving me alone in the bath like that? Give me a call when you can, or better yet come home.” He waited a moment longer to see if maybe Sam would pick up mid message. He didn’t. Gabriel hung up, pursing his lips. Should he be worried? He snorted at himself and waved his hand dismissively. Sam was a grown man, he could do what he wanted. He probably went to the grocery store or something.

Gabriel searched through his bag of things that he had left in the living room and pulled out some clothes, throwing on a pair of warm flannel sweatpants. For his shirt, he fished through Sam’s stuff and snatched his black t-shirt, breathing in his fir tree scent before tying the side of it into a knot so it fit him more snugly. It was a v-neck, and while on Sam’s beastly size it was appropriate, on him the collar dipped in between his pecs. Looking at himself in the mirror, he ruffled his already messy hair, and shot finger guns at his reflection. Sam was in for a snack when he got back. He almost wanted to go out like this, then realized people around here knew him, and probably thought he was dead. That would be awkward. Come to think of it, he wondered if Sam had told anyone else about his resurrection. He’d have to ask, once he came back. 

For now, he looked around idly, feeling that he should be doing something. Coming back from the dead, he felt like he should have this mentality of “life is precious” or “make every second count”, but right now he was kind of stuck. For a while, he wandered around the house, checking the long emptied fridge and cabinets for something to eat, like he usually did when he was bored. Eventually, he gave in and stretched out onto the couch, pulled out his phone, and scrolled through social media. It was surreal to see that some of his old friends from town that he followed had posted old and new photos of him, with long eulogies about him in the captions. A sad smile on his lips, he had to will himself not to comment back, and finally he turned off his phone. He went to turn on the TV, then Sam’s bag caught the corner of his eye. He groaned, knowing the one thing he should be doing, the one thing he hated with a burning passion. But what he hated even more was dying, especially if it was for a second time. So he dug through Sam’s stuff before finally getting his hands on the hefty bestiary. Opening it up, he started to read, determined to finish it before Sam returned.

  
  


Noon light faded into a warm dusk, and only then did Gabriel look up to check the time. It was already six o’clock, and still there was no reply from Sam. He frowned, worrying again. Yes, Sam could take care of himself, but he always returned Gabriel’s messages. Calling him once again, Gabriel waited patiently for the ringing to end. It ended in a voicemail. “Sam? I’m getting worried here man, at least shoot me a text.”

He tossed it aside, and a minute later his phone vibrated. Picking it up, he saw the text message;  _ “Busy. Can’t talk now.” _

“Wow, that’s pretty curt,” Gabriel muttered to himself, as he texted back,  _ “busy with what?” _

Another vibration.  _ “Stuff.” _

“What the hell?” This wasn’t like Sam at all.  _ “don’t be a dick,” _ he shot back.

_ “Sorry babe,” _ Came Sam’s response, followed by an emoji blowing a kiss. What had gotten into him? He never used emojis. In fact, he laughed at Gabriel who used emojis far too much. It had started off ironically, but now he genuinely used them to convey his emotion better. 

_ “are you drunk?”  _ Gabriel asked. How could Sam get drunk at a time like this, and more importantly, how could he get drunk without him?

_ “No, busy, bye.”  _

Unbelievable. Gabriel stared at the text message. What was this all about?  _ “Sam, I’m gonna keep texting you and screaming until you respond and tell me what’s going on.” _

_ “Saaaaaaaam”. _

_ “Sam”  _ He texted about 32 times,

_ “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”  _ about 20,

_ “SAM I SET THE HOUSE ON FIRE IM DYING HELP”  _ and various other emergencies around 50 times.

After that, Gabriel waited a few more minutes. Nothing. He frowned, and tossed his phone aside to the opposite side of the couch. Maybe he should go out and look for Sam. Hefting the bestiary off his lap, he grabbed an olive green jacket and threw it on, not caring for his appearance as he walked outside and to the sidewalk. As he did, he saw one of his neighbors across the street sitting on his porch with a beer. They made eye contact, and Gabriel waved. The neighbor’s eyes widened and he dropped his beer. Gabriel sighed. “Oh for God’s - I’M NOT REAL! YOU’RE JUST DRUNK OR MILDLY POISONED FROM THE BEER!” He shouted across the street. The neighbor scrambled inside, slamming the door behind him. Gabriel turned on his heel and went back into his own home, leaning his back against the door. Going out like this when he was supposed to be dead wasn’t a fantastic idea. So all he could do was sit, and worry, and wait. 

Hours came and went, darkness falling over the outside world. Gabriel tried to busy himself by reading the bestiary, but his mind still went back to Sam. He started to fidget from sitting in the same place so long. A little after midnight was when there was a knock on the door. Cautiously, Gabriel reached into his bag and grabbed a hunting knife, just to be safe. Creeping up to the door, he counted to three, before throwing it open. 

There stood Sam, covered in blood at his doorway.


	21. Chapter 21

Kierra had been lying, or maybe she didn’t know herself. Sam remembered what happened - or at least most of it. It felt like someone had scrambled his brain, that they had come into his house, picked up all his stuff, and put it down somewhere else. It took him forever to figure out where he was and how to get back home.

Sam remembered waking up in the bathroom, and Kierra making some remark about how this was now the most awkward time she possessed a vessel, then looked into the mirror and saw the scarlet drain from his eyes, yet they still looked foreign. Lucid dreams were a rare and pleasant occasion in Sam’s sleep, but there was always one side-effect - the uncomfortable dread of having a third-person, out of body experience. It’s what he felt now, so strongly that he couldn’t be too sure that it  _ wasn’t _ a dream. She took a moment, pacing to get used to his long legs, before drying off and getting dressed. A white button-down shirt and black slacks, similar to her first outfit. From there, things went black for a while, blurry. Vaguely, he could recall driving. For how long or how far was what he couldn’t remember. 

It was late in the afternoon now, despite the fact that they had left fairly early in the morning, when they stopped at a bar. Old, dilapidated, and hidden just out of site on a road with crumbling businesses, their bills too high and their  _ Yelp!  _ ratings too low. When she stepped inside, all eyes turned to her. Sam recaptured clarity at this moment, perhaps because it peaked both his and her interest. Through Kierra’s eyes, Sam could see all of the patrons true faces. All of them were twisted versions of what might have been decent looking women and men, flickering like fading candlelight over their vessels. She walked over to the bar, and the employees twisted face gave her a smirk. “Nice new suit Kierra,” He noted, eyes travelling up and down him just as Kierra had done at first, perhaps noticing the same thing she did.

“Glad you like it. Kind of tall for my taste, but boy is he strong,” Kierra giggled. Sam hated it when she did that. Her giggling coming from his voice sounded like it was faked. Her voice sound smoother, as she was used to witty banter, the words rolling off his usually sluggish or stuttering tongue in a practiced manner. It made Sam cringe. “Better than that twig I had.”

“I’ll say,” The bartender snorted, trying to keep his eyes focused on hers, yet they kept trailing down to Sam’s chest. So, he instead busied himself with pouring her a drink. “What brings you here?” He asked.

As he did, Kierra surveyed her surroundings. Dim lights, dingy tables that had too many scratches to count, some even with blood stains from previous scraps, and a faint layer of cigarette smoke hanging through the air. All of this was familiar to Kierra, yet foreign to Sam, leaving his consciousness in a limbo of confusion as it tried to grasp at memories that weren’t his. “Meeting with someone, that’s all.”

She picked up her drink, looking back at the bartender who raised an eyebrow that had a slit going through the middle. His face had a lot of sharp features like that - sharp jawline, strong cheekbones, hooded eyes - like he had been whittled from wood without sandpaper to smooth the edges. “A meeting, huh?”

Kierra smirked. “An important one. About a promotion.”

The bartender rolled his eyes and let out a breathy “Ha”. “You smoked out in your last fight, and I had to clean up your vessels blood. There’s still a stain on the ground,” He motioned to a faded puddle of blood on the ground five feet away, “How are you not getting that you’re not going to be the King any time soon?”

Kierra took a slow sip of her beer and placed it back on the counter. “I have a good feeling about this guy,” They shared a look, one that told that she knew he saw what she did, “Trust me.”

Sighing, the bartender shook his head. “Strong words coming from a demon.”

“Takes one to know one.”

Smirking again, the bartender glanced up over Kierra’s head as the door opened. “I think that’s your meeting, no?”

Kierra swivelved in her stool to see a man walking in a straight line from the doorway. He was big, maybe as tall as Sam, but with a wider torso and his shoulders brought in more, making him a stocky frame. His hair was hidden under a trucker’s cap, fading black hairs poking out of the mesh material on the sides, and a broader sample shown on his full beard. He stopped in front of Kierra, Sam’s eyes hurting internally as they tried to comprehend the flashing between his vessel’s face and his real face.

“New suit?” The man asked and, just like the bartender, gauged Sam by looking him up and down.

“Glad you noticed Donovan,” Kierra replied coolly, staying seated as this Donovan left no room for her to stand comfortably. From Kierra’s memories swimming in Sam’s head, he was surprised that he knew who Donovan was - A contender for the position of King of the Crossroads, as he had a more than decent number of contracts under his belt that all went smoothly, scoring many souls and potential recruits for Hell. It was pertinent that he was put out of commission, or he might actually have a chance of securing the throne.

Donovan looked around the curious gazes of the bar and grinned. “Well, you want to do this here? I’m sure everyone would like a good show, am I right?” He turned to the crowd of demons, who all voiced their agreement, already pulling out their wallets to wager bets even though money wasn’t important to them.

Confidently, Kierra stood. “Sounds good to me. Just be careful to not get any of your blood on their shoes, Donny,” She strode into the middle of the bar as patrons laughed at her jab. Donovan’s forehead wrinkled as he failed to rebuke her. People dragged their tables out of the way to form an arena with ample fighting space, now standing and muttering to each other. Hot anxiety washed over Sam, and he couldn’t tell if it was his or Kierra’s, or maybe even both.

This is where he began losing his grip.

He remembered Kierra took the first hit, a blow right to the head, which is maybe why Sam couldn’t piece together the whole fight. Only bits and pieces, certain sights and sounds and feelings all out of order and discombobulated. There were cheers and loud “Ooooooh!”’s, shocks of pain rattling throughout his chest, arm, leg. There was the flashing of polished knives with runes etched into them, and at one point he recalled one of those knives being stuck in his leg, a yellow flash jolting up through his body, before there was a shocking moment of clearness. He could feel the throbbing pain in his thigh, the strain of fighting working his muscles, and only now did he realize that before the sound had been slightly muffled, like there was cotton stuck in his ears. His head, however, wasn’t quite so empty. He could still feel something in there, something inside of him. For that single, fleeting moment, Kierra had lost her grasp.

But then he was dragged back into senselessness, sensations ripped out from under him, just in time to see the knife pulled from his leg and hear it clatter on the floor. There were more shouts of disbelief, an agonizing cry of pain, and once again Sam could see as his hand plunged a knife into Donovan’s vessel, over and over, like she didn’t realize it was already limp. 

Kierra stood, triumphant, dropping the knife to the floor, and turned to the demons, who’s twisted faces almost looked scared. 

“You ask why I think I should be King. Why I think I  _ could _ be King,” She glanced at the bartender, who was no exception from the crowd staring at Kierra. She pointed at Donovan. “It’s because I don’t stop until I am  _ certain _ I have obtained my goal, and potentially,  _ our  _ goals. And because I don’t let anyone who disobeys me get away scott free,” she bent, and swiped a sample of the blood that had gotten on Sam’s shoe, studied it, then licked it off her finger. “Think of that, next time you consider following Varlam.”

Leaving the bar in stunned silence, forgetting their wagers entirely, Kierra walked out confidently, stride unaffected by her leg wound.

She sat in the truck, and the passenger’s door opened a couple minutes later. The bartender slipped in next to her, and she didn’t object. “What kind of vessel -”

“Don’t worry about it Cooper,” Kierra interrupted. The bartender, Cooper, did what she had just said not to do - his brows furrowed and his lips were tugged downwards.

“You should be -”

“I know.”

“But you’re -”

“Yes.”

There was some silence. “How?”

Kierra glanced up into her rearview mirror, looking at Sam’s eyes. She opened his mouth, and once again Sam’s memories fell out of focus, until he woke up with a throbbing pain in his car outside of a diner. A sticky note was left on his wheel, signed with a heart.  _ “Thanks for the ride. Be back soon.” _ Sam barely even glanced at it before crumpling it up and tossing it aside, not out of anger, just absentmindedly. Disoriented, he stumbled through his phone to figure out where he was, and how to get rid of his pounding headache.

  
  
  


Gabriel dropped his knife, grabbed Sam’s arm, yanked him inside, and slammed the door shut. “Jesus Christ Sam! Are you okay!? What happened!?” He grabbed Sam’s arms as though he would collapse at any moment, which he inevitably did, the throbbing pain in his leg becoming too much. Reacting quickly, Gabriel put Sam’s arm around his shoulders and helped his boyfriend to the couch, laying him down with one arm while swiping the bestiary onto the floor with his other. The light felt too bright, so Sam squeezed his eyes shut. Then he opened them, the uncertain darkness making him nervous. Settling on a headache-inducing squint, he stayed still as Gabriel rushed to dig the first-aid kit from Sam’s duffle bag. He kneeled at Sam’s side, and poured alcohol into the wound. Instinctively, Sam jerked his leg back, hitting Gabriel in the nose, and Sam finally felt a moment of clarity.

“Shit, sorry,” he managed to say. Gabriel just shook his head, either not caring or not forgiving, going back to wrapping the wound in bandages. Sam let his head fall back against the arm of the couch. Granted, everything was much clearer now, but he still felt like he was in the last stage of easing off a hangover. 

“What the hell happened to you Sam? I woke up in the bath and you were just...gone,” Gabriel asked, only a hint of concern peppering the confused anger in his voice, “I mean just leaving me in a freezing bath was one thing, but then just peacing out without a note? Ignoring my calls? Acting like a jackass when I texted you? Coming back like this?”

“I know I -” Sam stopped, not sure what to say. How was he supposed to explain this? “I don’t really remember what happened.”

Gabriel tied off the bandage, and Sam could feel his beautiful eyes on him. He just kept staring at the ceiling. “What do you mean you don’t remember? How could you not remember?”

“I just…” The fuzzy image of the dead demon swam in front of his eyelids when he blinked. The knife...the scarlet eyes in his face. “I don’t. I’m just as confused as you are. I don’t even remember texting you anything.”

“I asked where you were and if you were drunk. You just said you were busy. Not even with what.” Gabriel crossed his arms.

Sam shook his head and sat up, looking at Gabriel finally. “I don’t remember Gabe, I really don’t,” he insisted. Right about now, he started to hate how good he was at lying, that he lacked the guilt that any normal person would feel as his punishment. The lies slipped through his lips as easily as truths. 

Silence. Silence never happened. It was just that only they could hear the roaring tension in their ears.

Gabriel stood, looking down at Sam’s leg. “No idea how that happened, huh?”

Sam shook his head, “No idea.”

“That’s your only wound?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Gabriel nodded. More tension. He looked at Sam with tired eyes, eyes that were new to Sam. Gabriel could stay up for two days and still manage to sing karaoke with completely sober energy, but now it looked like he wanted to sleep for a week. Gabriel bent down over Sam’s head, and lingered a moment before pecking his cheek. “I trust you,” he murmured, sending the bolt of guilt that Sam had been looking for through him. It wasn’t Gabriel saying that he believed Sam - it was Gabriel reminding him of the stakes. Of what he had to lose.

“Gabriel don’t be -”

“Don’t be what? Mad that my boyfriend’s been acting like a total weirdo since you magically resurrected me? That you won’t tell me where you were all this time?” Gabriel snapped. Sam stood up finally, and Gabriel looked up to keep their eye contact level.

“I’m telling you I don’t remember -!”

“Does Dean know?”

Sam stopped. “What?”

“Dean, the brother you tell everything, does he know you dug me back up?”

Sam’s mouth hung open, waiting for words to come to it. Gabriel dug his fingernails into his palms. “Another lie! You’re not telling me the truth about this whole thing are you? There’s no way in hell it could be this easy.”

A nervous chuckle escaped Sam. “Why not? We got a lucky break Gabriel, just enjoy it.”

“Did we? Did we  _ really _ ? Because if there’s some string attached that’s so bad you’re not even telling  _ me _ , I don’t think it’s all that lucky.”

What was he supposed to do now? Gabriel had him cornered. Sam sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest and running his tongue over his dry lips. “You’re going to be pissed.”

“Like I’m not already?” Gabriel motioned to himself. Sam ignored the comment. Instead he sat back on the couch to alleviate the pressure from his wound, and looked down as he spoke.

“After your funeral, Leandro showed up -”

“That prick came to my fucking funeral? He didn’t make a move on you again did he?” Instantaneously, Gabriel’s hands curled into fists, like they were waiting to beat Leandro down the next time he came anywhere near them.

“No, no, nothing like that,” Sam shook his head, “He came to me and told me there was a way to get you back. A deal I could make.” Conveniently, Kierra had chosen the slacks he had shoved the paper into. He pulled it out, unfolded it, and handed it to Gabriel. His eyes scanned the short description as Sam continued to talk, his lips set straight in a determinedly strong display of frustration beginning to loosen, falling into a pout. “All I had to do was summon a Crossroads Demon and sell my soul for yours back.”

Gabriel’s head snapped up from the paper. “Sam...I don’t even know what to say…” He ran a hand through his hair, “Other than you’re a fucking idiot. Why would you do that? I mean, wait, hold on,” He sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to collect his thoughts, “I don’t know how mad I should be yet. What do you mean you sold your soul? Do you still have it now or does it take a few business days to deliver or…?”

“Well, Leandro said a usual Crossroads deal is that you get something in return for your soul, and it’ll be taken to hell after you die in ten years, according to the contract,” Sam explained, “But the demon I did my deal with said there’s some kind of infighting going on and she just requested that she could use my body whenever she gets in a fight. As long as we win each fight, I won’t have to die in ten years, and afterwards she’ll leave me alone.”

“Okay yeah, you’re fucking stupid,” Gabriel confirmed his thoughts, crumpling up the paper and tossing it over his shoulder, “You’re risking your life to help a demon out? What the hell man? And even if you aren’t guaranteed to die in ten years, you have a chance of dying soon!” He gestured at Sam’s leg, “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking about you!” Sam exclaimed.

“You were thinking about yourself!” Gabriel shot back, “You were grieving and sad, and you wanted it to be over, but that’s not what  _ I  _ wanted. Of course I didn’t want you to be depressed or anything, but damn Sam, if there’s one thing I remember from that drive, it’s that I wished you would be okay without me. That’d you’d push through and move on and be happy, that you wouldn’t cling to me like that. That you’d let me go.”

Sam, remembering Gabriel saying something similar in the truck right before dying, bowed his head as hot shame pressed down on his chest. “Gabriel I just - I couldn’t.”

“Losing people is hard Sam, but you get through it with time and patience and family.”

Fire. Fire flickered in place of the darkness of Sam’s eyelids. Then the shiver of cold nights spent sleeping in the car shook his body. Never having met his mother, he never felt the sorrow of her loss, not like Dean did. Not like his father did. He remembered how his dad always looked tired, always had a drink in his hand, and Sam tried to keep track of how many times an empty bottle was replaced with a full one. Dad never got over mom, and probably never will.

Being his son, would Sam have gotten over Gabriel? Fear clutched his stomach as he realized that in part, Gabriel was right. But was it so bad to be a little selfish?

Shaking his head, Sam stood again. “My dad never got over the loss of my mom. I’m scared I would have ended up like his sorry ass.”

“You owed it to me to try.”

“Aren’t you happy to be alive? To be with me?”

“Did you lose some brain cells in that car accident? Of course I’m happy to be with you. But I’m not happy about how I got here. Especially since you tried to hide it from me, and after what I said.”

Sam tightened his jaw and looked away. Gabriel sighed. “I think you should sleep out here tonight.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

With that Gabriel brushed past Sam, letting their fingertips just barely graze each other, and went into his room. After the door shut, Sam’s shoulders still didn’t relax, even as he laid on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. 

That night, he dreamt about his dad.


End file.
